Dirty Little Secrets
by lostinmysticfalls
Summary: Caroline and Tyler's relationship begins to develop, but they must overcome obstacles if they want to be together. T/C with some Matt.
1. Chapter 1: Better Days

**A/N: Hey guys! This is the first fan fic of hopefully more to come. It's written collaboratively between myself and my BFF. **

**All chapters are written from Caroline's POV, unless stated otherwise. **

**The story is mainly Tyler/Caroline-centric but there are some Matt elements. Forwood fans, we will deliver ;)**

******Although this chapter is pretty clean, future ones will contain profanity and sexual content intended for mature readers only. **  


**Disclaimer: We don't own anything TVD. Character names, situations, etc. are the property of its respective owners. **

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**Chapter 1 ~ Better Days**

I lay in bed replaying over and over again in my head the events that had occurred the night before. A glimpse of the no-longer full moon seeped through my window. I couldn't help thinking of Tyler and the agonizing pain he was in during his transformation. Come to think of it, I'd never really cared much for him before. He'd always been a douchebag jock, concerned only about which girl he'd take to bed next. But last night, he was someone else. I saw him at his most vulnerable; it was impossible not to feel sorry for the guy. The reflection of fear and pain in his eyes was hard to get out of my head. I would even go as far as saying that he might have made my heart ache.

_Just a little._

Then I recalled the image of him rabid with the urge to kill and it sent a shudder down my spine. He was unrecognizable; his eyes were filled with rage, he would've most certainly torn me to pieces if I hadn't run away. I had put myself in more danger than I'd anticipated. Perhaps, being so close with him wasn't the best of ideas. Either way, I had been there with him for almost the whole night and I'm sure he appreciated it, but I had to be more careful from now on. I had to avoid getting too involved with someone that could kill me with a single bite. Besides, when he wasn't wolf-boy, he was still Tyler Lockwood, the arrogant and self-entitled A-class jerk.

_His good looks couldn't help him there._

He had already tried to get a hold of me today; my phone had been blowing up practically the whole day. There were more than 50 missed calls on my cell phone. From what I could remember, no other guy had ever been so eager to reach me. After his attempts failed, he came to my house hoping to find me here. My mother lied about me not being home, but knowing Tyler and his now magnified sense of smell, I wouldn't doubt he picked up my scent. Part of me wondered why he had bothered to come speak with me, when a simple text would've sufficed. The other part of me didn't want to know.

I eventually dozed off, trying to put all those thoughts behind me. I wasn't going to let Tyler Lockwood haunt my dreams as well.

I woke up to the sound of the doorbell. I turned to my clock, 9:30 a.m.

_I almost hope it's Tyler, so I can kill him for waking me up so damn early on a Sunday. _

I lay there hoping whoever was at the door would just give up and leave, but the ringing continued. I eventually dragged myself out of bed and slowly made my way down the stairs to the front door. My hair was a mess and I hadn't even bothered to put on some slippers. I could have sworn my heart skipped a beat, at the sight of the dirty blonde hair visible through the glass on the door.

"Matt," confusion and happiness spread across my face. I wondered what urgent matter had brought him to my doorstep this early on a weekend. I tried my best to fix my hair.

"I know it's early," he said embarrassed and apologetic. "Caroline, it's been days since we spoke a single word. I've been worried about you." His brow furrowed. All I could do was smile and shake my head in disbelief.

"It's 9:30 in the morning, my hair looks like shit and I'm wearing pink and purple striped pajamas." I looked around to see if anybody else was with him. "Do you want to come in?" I signaled to the living room with my hand.

He seemed hesitant at first, but then complied with my invitation. I could tell he wasn't planning on staying long, since he didn't even take a seat on the couch.

"You know I was actually hoping you wanted to come with me." I looked at him, not understanding what he meant. He quickly realized my bewilderment. "I'm going out to the lake, do some fishing, and was hoping... Maybe you wanted to come along?"

I had sworn I'd stay away from him, for his own sake. I didn't want him getting hurt, but how could I say no when he looked at me that way? His blue eyes were almost pleading.

"Ok, I'll come with!" I blurted out the words, without even thinking.

I told him to take a seat and quickly ran upstairs. I started looking for an outfit, but couldn't decide what to wear. I'd never been fishing before and didn't want to overdress. Thirty minutes later, after a few changes of clothes and a quick but meticulous application of makeup, we headed out to the lake. The whole ride there, my mind had been drifting back to Tyler and I wondered how he was doing. I was about to text him when Matt brought the car to a halt.

"We're here!" He announced, with an excited look on his face.

"Where's the lake?" I looked puzzled by the beautiful sight of a green meadow and the obvious lack of water in the area.

"The lake is not too far from here. I figured you hadn't eaten, so I made some lunch. I planned to bring you here so we could eat before we went fishing." He said with a smile as he unpacked a picnic basket and a blanket from his truck.

I couldn't remember the last time I had a picnic. I don't even think I'd had one when my parents were still together. The fact that Matt had planned this made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He was a nice guy; I just wished I didn't have to hide my true self from him.

"I don't think I've ever been here before." I paced around, as I glanced at my surroundings. The trees and flowers looked amazingly beautiful. Everything was green and the smell of grass and lilacs blended together perfectly with the freshness of the cool breeze.

"Really? This place is awesome! I come here when I need to clear my head from time to time." It had been a while since I'd seen Matt this happy; it made me feel a bit guilty.

We set the blanket down underneath a Silverbell Tree that was just blossoming. The little white bell-shaped flowers gave off a sweet and pleasant smell. I was surprised when Matt pulled out a container of freshly made Chicken Alfredo pasta from the basket. He looked like a magician pulling things out of a hat. There was Caesar salad, breadsticks and a small container filled with Parmesan cheese. Finally, he placed two slices of red velvet cake topped with cream cheese frosting. I just sat there with my mouth open.

"Matt, I am so impressed right now! I didn't know you could cook. I thought single men living alone in a bachelor pad survived solely on reheated Hot Pockets and take out." He laughed.

"Cooking is one of my secret talents. You just didn't stick around long enough to find out." There was an awkward pause before he continued. "Maybe I can cook dinner for you some time." He smiled and I reciprocated the action.

After eating all that delicious food, we headed out to the lake. As we hopped in the truck, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. It read five missed calls from Tyler; I was glad I had left it on silent.

_Should I text him? I wonder if he's ok? Why can't he just leave me a damn message?_

I could've called him back but there was no way I was going to have a conversation with him while Matt was in hearing range. On the other hand, it would've been extremely rude of me to walk away and talk on the phone, even though Matt and I weren't on a date. When we arrived at the lake, the first thing I noticed was an old fishing boat rocking back and forth in the water.

_I really hope it doesn't have any leaks. The last thing I want is for my new shoes to get ruined._

"Come on, boat is right over here" Matt said, as he grabbed my hand and guided me to the old red boat. "We're going to have fun today, just wait and see."

"It looks… great, Matt. Whose boat is it?" I asked.

"It belonged to my grandfather. We used to fish out here all the time until he got sick. I spent the best days of my life right here with him." I noticed his eyes started to get watery. He quickly snapped out of it and handed me a fishing pole.

"Let's do this!" I exclaimed, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible.

We caught about four fish the whole evening. It was definitely not the most exciting activity I had ever partaken in but I had to admit it was quite relaxing. Watching Matt fish had been entertaining, the expression on his face, every time he pulled up seaweed instead of a fish, was priceless. We watched the sun go down from the middle of the lake. I instinctively rested my head on his shoulder and I had to admit it had been one of my favorite things so far. I ended up having one of the best days, just like the ones he had enjoyed with his grandfather. I felt lucky to have someone like Matt in my life.

When I thought the evening couldn't possibly get any better, we parked by the meadow again and he did the unexpected; he laid the blanket on the grass and motioned me to sit down.

"When's the last time you stared at the night sky and just admired the stars?" He was serious; I couldn't believe it. Apparently my thoughts about romance being dead were wrong.

The sky was clear and the stars were shining brightly, we lay there pointing out the constellations. I felt his hand brush against mine a few times and he eventually placed it on top and tried to lock his fingers around mine. I moved it away when I realized his intentions.

"It's getting late," I interrupted the silence.

"Yeah, I should probably get you home before the sheriff sends out a search group." I nodded and smiled.

He walked me to my door and I ended up inviting him in. For the first time since I had become a vampire, I felt human again and I had no one else to thank for that but Matt. Besides, nothing would happen between us, my mother was most likely home and even if she wasn't I didn't want Matt to get the wrong idea. I noticed a note stuck to the telephone as soon as I turned on the lights. 'Dinner is in the fridge; I'll be working late –Mom.'

_Great. My mom isn't home; maybe this wasn't a good idea after all._

"You want to watch a movie?" I asked; it seemed like a safe enough choice.

"Sure, as long as I don't get in trouble with your mom."

"What is she going to do? Arrest you for watching a movie with her daughter?" I chuckled.

As he picked a movie, I went to the bathroom and tried my best to get rid of the fish stench. By the time I got out, he had already fallen asleep on my bed. I thought about waking him up, but we had already done the sleeping together thing before and I honestly didn't see any harm in it. As I slipped underneath the covers, I felt his body drift closer to mine and I tensed up.

"I've missed you" He whispered in my ear.

I swiftly turned around to face him. Our eyes met and in a split second, his soft, gentle lips collided with mine. I initially pulled away but he was persistent and dove in a second time. He climbed on top of me; his lips slowly made their way down to my neck. I still felt something for him and maybe that's what kept me from putting an end to his advances. I got so wrapped up on what was happening that I let the urge to taste his blood overcome me. I snapped my eyes open, as soon as I felt the veins forming underneath my eyes, and pushed him off of me. I asked him to stop as I turned away trying to conceal my face.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. If you want me to go, I'll understand." He apologized.

"It's not your fault, I shouldn't have let it get this far. I don't want us to make precipitated decisions. I think it'd be better if you left." I didn't want him to see me like this. I closed my eyes. The sound of his footsteps faded behind me as he made his way downstairs.

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	2. Chapter 2: In Your Dreams

**A/N: I accidentally uploaded Chapter 2 before making any edits to it, so I had to delete it and then post it again. Sorry if this caused any confusion.**

**Thanks to everyone who read the story! Special thanks to Anthea Buckley, Rosel, Erin, and txgirl0302 for taking the time to leave reviews. You guys are awesome =] I hope you guys liked the story enough to stick around and keep reading!**

**This chapter is shorter than the last; don't worry they won't get any shorter haha.**

**I will do my best to update twice a week.**

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**Chapter 2 - In Your Dreams**

After Matt left, I found myself lying on my back, staring at the ceiling. I had no idea what to make of my situation. The last thing I wanted to do was think of how far I would've gone if I had bitten him again. I would've probably ended up compelling him and I just couldn't keep doing that to the people I loved. I was now regretting my decision to invite him in, in the first place. After a few hours of tossing and turning, I finally surrendered to sleep. I only wished that had been the end of my thought process.

_I found myself sitting up on my bed. My room looked very similar but there was a hint of red to the setting and flickering candles provided dim lighting. The smell of cinnamon emanating from them filled the air and I shivered when a sudden rush of cold air touched my body. I noticed the window was open and the wind was making my curtains flutter; they looked like purple waves defying gravity. I got up from my bed, wearing a red satin robe, and I approached to close my window. As I reached for the knobs, two hands came from behind me and latched on to my waist._

_"I came back for you..." Matt whispered into my ear. _

_I didn't speak. I intuitively leaned back against his body, resting the back of my head on his shoulder. I could feel the long steady rhythm of his heartbeat. His lips brushed against my ear and down my jaw line. He opened his mouth and ran his warm tongue along my neck; the tingling sensation was more than I could take. His lips finally reached mine and he gently nibbled on my lower lip. His hands were busy trying to untie my robe. He slipped it off my shoulders and it fell between our feet. I turned around to face him. With a hasty movement, I removed the shirt from his body and pulled him in for another kiss. Our lips pressed together softly. I heard the faint howls of a wolf in the distance. As the howls grew louder our kisses intensified and eventually transitioned into ones of desperation. It was as if we couldn't get enough of each other. We were practically devouring one another. When we finally pulled away, I realized Matt's baby blue eyes had disappeared. I was now staring directly into Tyler's dark brown eyes._

_"All you have to do is ask." He whispered against my lips, I could see a smirk on his face._

_"I think this time you're the one that will do the asking." I pushed him onto the bed and straddled him. We kissed vigorously as his hands struggled to remove the two pieces of clothing still clinging to my body. I kissed his neck; the blood pulsating through his veins was so inviting. The urge to taste him became more and more uncontrollable. Without warning, I sank my teeth into him and savored the warm liquid running down his neck._

The sound of my alarm clock brought me back to reality. I opened my eyes and looked around my room, that dream felt so real, it had left me speechless. I couldn't understand how I had so easily given in to Tyler and why I had enjoyed it so much. I'd never really thought of him that way before. And Matt turning into him was just plain strange. How the hell was I going to look at them in the eyes again without thinking back to that dream?

**~%~%~%~%~**

I arrived to first period and noticed Tyler's desk was empty. I figured he had skipped school after the late bell rang and he still hadn't shown up. Relieve washed over me, knowing I would be able to go from class to class without having to run into him. Later that day, Matt caught up with me as I was walking to my car.

"Hey" he smiled and playfully tapped me on the shoulder.

I raised my eyebrows, faking surprise and smiled back, "Hey". I looked from side to side, not knowing exactly what else to say. I couldn't exactly pretend the events from the day before hadn't happened. Matt and I had an amazing time and we enjoyed each other's company but the last thing I wanted to do was make him think we were getting back together.

"Got any plans for the evening?"

_Oh no, Matt, please don't go there._

"I'm going over to Elena's, girls night, you know." I lied convincingly.

"That's too bad," he lamented.

"I wanted to see if maybe you wanted to go watch a movie or something." He looked at me, trying to change my mind.

I felt bad for lying to him, but today was not going to turn into a repeat of yesterday and definitely not a repeat of last night. I dug my hand into my purse, trying to find my keys, even though I wasn't remotely near my car.

"Yeah, today's not the best day, Matt. Sorry." I said pulling the keys from my purse.

"I really enjoyed having you around yesterday. It meant a lot to me when you accepted my invitation. All that food would've gone to waste." He smiled and I faked a chuckle.

"I had a really nice time too. Thanks for inviting me."

I was grateful for it. He had made me feel normal for the first time in a long time. It made me realize all the things I had taken for granted when I was human. As I looked at him and smiled, my eyes widened as he inched closer and closer until he finally cupped my face and kissed me. I immediately pulled away.

"Matt…" I shook my head.

"I'm sorry but I don't know what we're doing." And I sincerely meant it.

"I don't get it, I thought last night had meant something to you." His sad puppy face killed me.

I couldn't think of any other way to explain myself. There really was no way to let him off easy.

"I don't want you to turn this into something it isn't." I waited for a reply but it never came.

"I still think, we're better off as friends and I'm better off alone for now." I explained, with a half-convincing smile.

"You're hiding something from me, Caroline. You haven't been yourself every since that accident. What's wrong?" He looked disappointed in me for not trusting him.

_You're right. The truth is I'm a vampire. A monster._

"I have to go." I dodged the question and started walking away. He didn't follow.

My pace slowed down as I spotted Tyler standing next to my car. It was too late to turn around; it would've been too obvious. I armed myself with courage and kept walking towards him.

"You're alive!" He looked almost annoyed at the fact.

_A bit too annoyed._

"Tyler, I" There was no use in trying to explain myself; he immediately cut me off.

"Why? Why haven't you answered my calls? Been too busy with your boyfriend to care?" He grabbed me by the arms and pressed me right up against him. The contact of our bodies sparked flashes of last night's dream. I broke away from his restrain.

"What? So now you're wolf-hearing gives you permission to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?" I demanded.

"I wasn't eavesdropping, and for your information I actually made an effort to respect your privacy and blocked out whatever it is you and Matt were talking about." He was annoyed.

"Oh really, then why the _boyfriend_ question?"

"I blocked my hearing, Caroline, not my vision." He inched closer to me again and I showed no sign of intimidation.

"Well, maybe if your vision wasn't so bad you would've noticed that wasn't even a real kiss. And Matt isn't my boyfriend, ok?" I didn't even know why I was explaining myself to him. I marched towards the driver's side of my car. He went around the other way and blocked me from opening the door.

"I'm not letting you run off so easily, I've been trying to reach you the whole weekend. We need to talk." He said firmly and I knew there was no way to get myself out of it this time.

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	3. Chapter 3: It's Complicated

**A/N: New week, new chapter! :) **

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**Chapter 3 ~ It's Complicated**

Tyler decided the best thing to do was for me to meet him at his house. My mom was going to be home tonight and we couldn't risk having our conversation overheard. His mom was out of town, so we'd be free of interruptions there. I was feeling extremely hungry, having not hunted for the past couple days. I told my mom I would be back later and didn't even bother on explaining where I was going. As usual, she didn't press me for more information. I made a lightning speed run for the woods as soon as the coast was clear. Hunting bunnies wasn't the most exciting thing but it beat torturing myself with the sound of Tyler's blood pumping through his veins.

_I thought werewolves weren't supposed to be so appetizing._

I got lucky enough to spot a deer down in the ravine. I launched at it driven solely by the impulse to feed. It was amazing how my hunger was stronger than my feelings of remorse for killing a helpless animal. I drank until I was more than satisfied. After so many nights of hunting, I had finally learned not to make a big mess out of my meal. Either way, I wiped whatever residue was left on the corners of my mouth with my fingers, licking them off in the process. I grabbed my purse and pulled out a travel size mouthwash and rinsed my mouth.

_It's a good thing I'm always prepared. _

I took a deep breath, not knowing exactly what to expect when I got to Tyler's house.

**~%~%~%~%~**

As soon as I walked in, I took off my jacket and made my way to the mahogany leather sofa by the fireplace, placing my purse on the coffee table. The lighting was soft and warm, the atmosphere felt almost cozy, and Tyler immediately walked over to the bar. He was wearing blue gym shorts and a white wife beater, like he had just gotten back from working out. Except he hadn't; I could smell how clean he was, his skin had a fresh soapy fragrance and every time he moved I'd get a whiff of aftershave. He looked and smelled great.

"Whisky?" He offered as he was already pouring it into a glass half-filled with ice. I reached over as he handed it to me.

"Thanks." I had that feeling of suffocation you get after a run, and my heart felt like it was going to come flying out of my chest. I took a sip as I looked at him and then quickly looked away.

He poured himself a glass and remained standing by the bar. I watched him take a deep breath and his mouth opened slightly but no words came out. Instead, he took swig of whisky and started pacing around the room. This was getting awkward, fast.

"28 more days" were his first words and I knew exactly what he was referring to.

"You must dread it more now that you know what it's like." I didn't know what else to say. I wanted to get up and hug him. I wanted to comfort him and tell him everything would be ok, just like the last time. But I wasn't sure of it, I was afraid too.

"Why have you been avoiding me? I thought you and I..." his voice trailed off.

"I thought you and I were friends now." he looked at me disconcerted. I knew I had some explaining to do. There was no way around it, I had lied to him enough already and I wasn't going to keep piling up lie after lie.

"We _are_ friends, Tyler. But we're also..." I bit my lower lip, trying to decide if the next word was the most appropriate.

"...enemies, in a way."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Instead of helping explain things I had just complicated them a bit more.

"Vampires and werewolves aren't meant to coexist. Why do you think there's a curse? When you turn, you lose all common sense. You don't distinguish friend from foe." I stood up from my seat and started pacing back and forth taking sips of whisky as I tried to explain. On the contrary, Tyler had taken a seat as he tried to make sense of what I was saying.

"There's more…" He said, and his stare intensified. I don't usually get intimidated but he always succeeded in making me feel uneasy.

"A werewolf bite can kill a vampire." I shut my eyes as if I had said something I wasn't supposed to.

_There, straight to the point. End of story._

To my amazement, his reaction was not what I had been expecting. He laughed a bit and then stood up. It took me by surprise, and it wasn't good.

"You think this is funny?" I was irritated.

"Is the possibility of my death some sort of sick joke to you?" I could feel my anger rising. I couldn't believe he was taking this so lightly. I could've died while trying to help him last time and he thought it was funny.

"Caroline, calm down" he grabbed me by the shoulders.

"How the fuck do you expect me to calm down? I just told you, you could've killed me and all you do is laugh? You're such an asshole." I took his hands off my shoulders and without thinking twice, slapped him as hard as I could. His head swung in the direction of the hit. I saw his jaw clenching as he slowly turned to face me.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _

My eyes widened and the empty whisky glass slipped from my hand as I stepped back. I had forgotten how scary he could be when he was angry.

"Tyler..." I put my hands in front of me, trying to get him to calm down. He grabbed me by the arms and pushed me against the wall, placing his hands on each side of my head. My hands were trapped between our chests. He looked at me with so much intensity; it was almost hypnotizing. I could've easily escaped from him and I didn't, even though I barely had enough air in me to keep breathing. Something kept me there, I felt helpless. I tried to speak but all I could do was inhale and exhale slowly.

"What's wrong Forbes? Cat got your tongue?"

_Forbes? Tyler hadn't called me that since he used to pick on me in middle school._

"What are you doing Tyler?" I finally gained control of myself.

"Are you planning on killing me now or later?" I was in a vulnerable position and yet I still had the tenacity to taunt him.

He smiled. I felt a sigh of relief even though I still had no idea what he was doing.

"I'm not going to kill you. What kind of a _friend_ would I be if I did that to you after you helped me?"

_Why the emphasis on 'friend'? Does he not consider me one anymore?_

I lowered my hands and placed them on my side, flat against the wall. Our chests came in contact and I immediately thought maybe that hadn't been the best of moves.

"I make you nervous, don't I?" I took a big gulp and looked away, before realizing that was only proving his point. I wasn't going to let that happen, I wasn't going to let him enjoy seeing me like this. I turned to him and with a defying face. "Don't try to hide it, I can feel it." He searched my face for an answer.

"And why exactly would you make me nervous?" I pretended to be perfectly comfortable with his presence.

"You tell me..." That smirk made an appearance once again, almost as if he was planning something devious.

_And yet, there was something so riveting about it._

"I think the wolf gene is messing with your head, you're starting to imagine things." I smiled and shook my head.

"Am I?" he leaned closer, pressing his body harder into me. My breathing somehow intensified. His lips were so close to touching mine, I could feel the heat radiating from them.

"Yes you are!" I pushed him aside so fast he didn't even realize I wasn't there anymore until he turned and saw me standing behind him. He let out a laugh.

"I always forget how fast you are. I knew you'd find a way to dodge my question." he half-smiled and looked at me. His eyes scanned me up and down. I couldn't help feeling a bit uncomfortable. "So a single bite can kill you? I'm assuming you knew this even before I turned. Why help me, then?" His eyes narrowed.

"I told you I didn't want you to experience it alone. I know what it's like to go through a transformation without someone there to help you make sense of it all." I felt a little bit more at ease and proceeded to take a seat on the sofa once again. He walked towards me and sat right beside me.

"I don't buy it." He raised one eyebrow as he slightly shook his head and leaned into me.

"What?" I blurted out in disbelief.

"I think there's more. I don't think the only reason you've been avoiding me is because you're afraid I'll" he paused. "Kill you."

I let out a small giggle.

"Why else would I be avoiding you?"

"Maybe you're afraid of what you're feeling." I was expecting that smirk again, but he was serious, his eyes fixed on mine.

I laughed nervously and stood up.

"Tyler, I've already told you what I came to say. I think it's time for me to go now."

"You haven't told me how you know all this."

"That's a story for another time." I put on my jacket and grabbed my purse from the coffee table.

I walked out of the house, his footsteps were right behind me.

"Where's your car?" He looked around.

"I didn't drive here, kind of just ran."

He laughed as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"Well, I'm not going to let you _run_ back home. I'll give you a ride."

"Last time you gave me a ride, things didn't turn out so well." I immediately regretted saying that. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, it was a joke."

He looked down for a moment. "I'll go get my keys."

_Way to go Caroline._

_**~%~%~%~%~**_

The drive to my house seemed like an eternity. We were like two kids going back home after an awkward date. So awkward there was even a mention of the weather and the dark gray sky. He would look at me when he thought I wasn't looking and I did the same to him. I was relieved when we finally pulled up to my driveway. He turned off the car but neither of us got out.

"Caroline... I really am grateful for everything you've done for me." I looked at him and smiled, I could see the truthfulness in his eyes. Tyler wasn't the kind of person who easily expressed gratefulness.

"I'll be there next time, as long as you promise not to kill me." I looked away, feeling stupid for saying that last part. He took a hold of my hand before continuing.

"I know you're afraid. Just know that I would never do anything to hurt you. And don't feel like you have to be there from now on, your safety is a priority." I could hear the sincerity in his voice. He really meant what he was saying. Tyler definitely was a softy when he wanted to be.

"Well, since we're having a _heart to heart, _I want to apologize for being such a bad friend and not picking up the phone when you called. I mean for all I know you could've been hurt or in some kind of accident…" I stopped when I realized I was about to start rambling. "It won't happen again. At least now you know why I avoided you in the first place."

"And I'm still not convinced Forbes." He smiled and leaned even closer. I rolled my eyes, shook my head and opened the car door. "Are you walking me to my door or something?" I asked sarcastically as I saw him get out of the car.

"Why not? I'm already here." We were both acting so childish. It almost felt like a game, a fun and quite enjoyable game.

"Um. Ok..." I said as we reached the door. "Have a good night." I couldn't think of anything better to say in that situation.

He took a hold of my arms right above my wrists. "Whatever you need, I'm right here." He looked me directly in the eyes. I nodded and then turned away to open the door.

"Wait." I felt the weight of his hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see what he wanted and was surprised when his hands cupped my face. His lips merged with mine in an instant. I was paralyzed once again; an invisible force kept me from pulling away. I kissed him back, alternating between his upper and lower lip. Having him so close to me, his lips touching mine, it felt good.

_Too good._

I opened my eyes and pulled away from him.

"You don't want this Tyler." I shook my head.

"No, Caroline. I do." He leaned in again and began kissing me with even more desperation than before. I didn't want to stop, I wanted to go further. It had been a while since I had sex and my body was asking for it. I'd never wanted Tyler so bad as I did in that instant. I opened my eyes and realized I couldn't let it happen, it took every ounce of strength in my body to resist him and pull away.

"No. You don't." I went inside the house as quickly as I could and shut the door behind me. Never in my life had I felt so confused and conflicted.

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**A/N: Ooooh Caroline! There's no way she can keep resisting him for long ;) Tyler's way too yummy, nom nom nom LOL. **

**I'm currently working on Chapter 4, it'll be up on Friday :)**

**I'm assuming all of you will be reliving the epicness of 'By the Light of the Moon' this Thursday :D**

**And... how excited are you guys for the new episode on the 27th? 9 more days...**


	4. Chapter 4: Dirty Pretty Thing

**A/N: Hello! I was going to upload this earlier but I just now to it! I'm going out of town this weekend so I'm uploading it a bit earlier than usual.**

**Once again, thank you all so much for reviewing! =] We love you! **

**Hope you like this chapter!**

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**Chapter 4 ~ Dirty Pretty Thing**

The next couple days at school had been a bit awkward. Not only did I try to pretend nothing had happened between Tyler and I, Matt was another story. I could tell he was still trying to win over my affection. Any other time I would have been happy with his advances, but now I wasn't sure anymore. He was still warm and lovable like a big teddy bear, but that kiss I shared with Tyler had done something to me. The only thing that comforted me was the thought of school being over in two months. It was a good thing we were graduating this year, otherwise I'd have to endure another year of this torture.

I walked into the cafeteria and spotted Matt talking with Bonnie. Elena was sitting with Stefan; they were always in their own little world, enjoying every second of peace away from Damon. Tyler was nowhere in sight. I was about to turn around and walk out, when I heard Matt's voice.

"Caroline!" He waved at me and motioned for me to go sit with them. I smiled and walked over, hesitantly.

"Hey!" I said as I sat down, placing the tray of food on the table.

"Bonnie and I were just talking about graduation. I can't believe we'll be out of here in a couple months." He said with a grin.

"Yeah…" Bonnie agreed, looking at me; she looked sort of bothered by my presence. She had grown more and more distant, ever since I had turned but I'd never given her a reason to hate me.

"Have you thought of what you're going to do after high school, Caroline?"

_What, you mean besides living forever? No._

"Yeah, what are your _plans_ Caroline?" Bonnie was certainly being rude and I wondered if I was the only one that noticed.

"College." I said raising my eyebrows, a fake smile split across my face.

_Who am I kidding? College is the last thing on my mind right now. But people don't have to know that._

"I'm thinking of going to Medical School." Matt looked at me as if looking for approval.

"That's great, Matt. You will make a fine doctor." I smiled and looked away, hoping he hadn't taken it the wrong way.

"You know what else is coming up?" Bonnie looked at me inquisitively.

"Your birthday, Caroline. One year older." She smiled, but there was no warmth in her words.

My face was serious. I looked at her and Matt; he was smiling from ear to ear.

"She's just kidding Care, you don't _look_ any older." He laughed.

_And I never will._

I faked a chuckle and nodded. Just then, I spotted Tyler walking into the cafeteria. His hair was wet, like he had just gotten out of the shower. I figured he had been in the locker room this whole time. I looked at him and half-smiled. He approached the table. The bell rang just as he was about to sit down.

"There goes my lunch." He complained.

_Saved by the bell._

I stood up quickly and made up an excuse for having to leave school early. I had no desire to stick around any longer. I cleared out my food tray, grabbing an apple and throwing it in my purse for later. I walked out of the cafeteria and into the hall. Tyler came up from behind me and grabbed my arm, turning me around to face him.

"You know we have to talk sometime. You're doing it again, you said you wouldn't avoid me, and you are." I looked at him. He was right, I was avoiding him again and I couldn't keep doing it. I couldn't run away from my problems every time something happened.

"Ok, come with me then. I'm just not up for school today." I sped up, as I approached the front office.

"Wait, you're actually going to ask for permission to leave?" He looked baffled.

"Not precisely." I walked into the office and clearly stated that Tyler and I had to leave. I compelled the secretary into writing us both passes and marking us present in our remaining classes for the day.

"What was that?" Tyler asked incredulous.

"It's called compulsion. I look them straight in the eye, tell them what I need them to think and do and voilà." I might have bragged a bit.

He looked at me squinting his eyes.

"No. I've never compelled you, Tyler. It doesn't work on werewolves." I explained.

"So, if it did work on werewolves, you would have done it?" I wasn't really expecting that question.

_Would I have done it?_

"I don't know. Maybe if I found it absolutely necessary. I can't say for sure. Oh and by the way, the effects don't last very long, since I usually just feed on animal blood." I was being very nonchalant about the whole thing, but the truth was I had used it on my mother once before and it had been very emotional for me. Unfortunately that was something I couldn't share with Tyler. I said I wouldn't layer up any more lies and trying to explain that to him would result in the opposite.

**~%~%~%~%~**

He drove until we reached a quiet, solitary wooded area close to my house.

"Where are the sleeping bags?" I joked.

"So, do you have any other cool vampire superpowers?" He asked, ignoring my question.

"You brought me here to talk about my _powers_?" I laughed a bit.

"Not exactly, but I figured there's no harm in asking."

We sat down on the on the ground, the sun's rays barely penetrated through the trees. The nature setting briefly reminded me of my recent outing with Matt, except there was a smell of pine and oak in the air and there wasn't an array of food placed in front of me.

"Earth to Caroline." I turned to him a bit embarrassed for spacing out.

"Hmmm…" I didn't know exactly how to explain the other _power_. I began, speaking as slowly as I could.

"I've never done this before, but I've heard that if you're strong enough from feeding on human blood, you can kind of get into someone's head." I turned to him trying to figure out if he had understood what I meant.

"I guess it's a bit like compulsion, except you can make them see what you see and feel what you feel." He looked amazed.

"So, if you were to have an orgasm I would feel it?"

"Tyler!" I said wrinkling my nose and shutting my eyes. He laughed and apologized for the comparison.

_Well, at least I know he understood me._

"You're right, I didn't bring you here to talk about powers or anything like that." He straightened himself up.

"I'm just going to go straight to the point and not beat around the bush." I began to feel a little frightened.

"Whether you want to admit it or not, I think you feel something for me, just like I do for you." He put his finger up, just as I was about to speak.

"We've gone through something very intense and I know you might think I'm just confusing gratitude for something else. But I know what I feel, Caroline, and I know it's something more." He shouldn't have stopped me from speaking before, because now I was speechless. All I did was shake my head, before I regained control of my tongue.

"Tyler, I can't be with you. You're Matt's friend." I finally said.

_That's not the only reason._

"I know it's fucked up and the lowest of the low to go after your friend's girl, but you and Matt aren't together anymore." He stood up and leaned against one of the trees.

"I can't… I don't know what to say. I can't just say ok and show up tomorrow at school and say 'Hey Matt, I'm dating your friend Tyler Lockwood now,' it just doesn't work that way." He nodded in agreement.

"I know it doesn't. And I'm not asking you to say 'yes' right now. I just want you to think about it and stop denying there's more between us than just friendship. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't push me away." He was dead serious.

"Don't push you away." I repeated quietly.

"I'll try my best, but I'm not promising anything." I stood up and brushed the dirt and pine needles off my jeans.

"I have to go, it's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow at school." I abruptly cut the conversation short.

**~%~%~%~%~**

He offered to take me home, but I was close enough from it to walk. I got there in a split second. After eating dinner, I tried watching TV but I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation. I turned it off and ran upstairs to my room; I needed to sleep it off. I closed my eyes, Tyler's words echoing in my head.

_Don't push me away. Don't push me away. Don't push me away._

I lost control of my body and my mind slipped into the realm of dreams once again.

_I was back in the old Lockwood property. The chains were set and a water bottle mixed with wolfsbane was lying on the floor. I looked around in the darkness and found myself alone. I sat against the wall and wondered what I was doing there in the first place. I heard the door creak open, as Tyler walked in wearing nothing but the spandex shorts he had worn during his first transformation. No words were spoken, I blew air out of my mouth and made an effort to look away, but his body was too perfect to not look at. Something took over me and I stood up at lightning speed and immediately pushed him against the wall. He didn't seem to mind one bit._

_"How does it feel to be the one against the wall?" I asked, but he didn't say a word._

_I teasingly bit my lower lip and with precision began licking his. I parted his mouth and slipped my tongue in, I curled it, teasing the roof of his mouth. After a few moments, I began to descend down his body, alternating between kisses and licks down to his belly button. I lowered myself to my knees and pulled down his shorts. He was hard, standing up stiffly and pulsating with want. I gave it a few gentle tugs with my hand, before wrapping it completely around it and stroking it a few times. I went slow at first and then faster and with more pressure. He let out a groan. I licked my lips, before taking him in my mouth. I wrapped my tongue around it and sucked with force; his moaning was music to my ears. He begged me not to stop, every time I slowed down. My tongue swirled around the head and then I took him in deeper. I was amazed at my lack of a gag reflex. Again, I stroked him harder and looked up at him delighting in his enjoyment._

_"I can do this all night long." I teased before taking him in my mouth again. _

The sound of my alarm interrupted what was coming. I was astounded at how incredibly filthy that dream had been. I couldn't believe I had the capacity to dream up something so perverse. I felt dirty, just thinking about it. And at the same time, I wondered if Tyler's physical attributes in my dream were close to the real thing.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I arrived at school; thankful it was Friday. The weather was starting to get a bit warmer, and I immediately regretted my decision to wear jeans and a jacket. I took the jacket off and walked over to my locker to put it away.

"Good Morning." I turned to find Tyler's smiling face.

"Morning. Happy it's Friday, I see." My eyes inadvertently shifted to his crotch. I quickly looked away, trying to erase the dream from my head.

"The weekends are always good. Do you want to go to the Grill tonight? Have some drinks, shoot some pool?" He was flirting with me and I enjoyed every second of it.

"Ok. Just let me remind you, we're not of legal drinking age just yet."

"No, but I figured you can be very persuasive when you need to be." He grinned.

"Alright, the Grill tonight then. I could use a few drinks." I smiled back, as I playfully punched his arm.

"I'm looking forward to hanging out Forbes, taking shots and playing pool,_ I can do that all night long_." He chuckled and turned to walk away. My eyes widened and my breaths shortened. He stopped and turned back around.

"Oh and by the way, thanks. I really enjoyed waking up to a mess in my bed this morning." His words bursting with sarcasm as he raised an eyebrow and gave me that devilish smirk.

I covered my mouth with my hands and shut my eyes, wishing the earth would open up below my feet and swallow me whole.

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**A/N: Hang in there girls! I know what you guys want and trust me, we're working on it ;)**

**Have a great weekend!**


	5. Chapter 5: Connection

**A/N: Hi, hi, hi! =] There seemed to be a bit of confusion and questions about the last chapter. I guess I should have noted that things would be explained on this one! :) I addressed some of that as well as how the future of the story is looking in our latest blog post, which I'm sure all of you already read... Ahahaha ;) If not, just google 'TwiTVDFans Livejournal' because FF won't let me post links (understandable). **

**And, just because I'm super excited about the new episode this Thursday I will update three times this week (the last update being Thursday morning). **

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**Chapter 5 ~ Connection**

Tyler knew, we practically shared that dream and the embarrassment was killing me. Little goodie-two-shoes Caroline Forbes was actually a dirty-minded freak, and he knew. I could've left school after that revelation but I was tired of hiding every time something unexpected occurred. I went through my day pretending I didn't care, and every time Tyler wanted to talk about it I just smiled. I could tell he was growing tired of my 'I'm not gonna go there' reply. When the school day was over, I hurried to my car; I had to figure out how the hell he was able to experience my dream. I almost died of shock when I found him sitting in the passenger seat.

"You need to start locking your car, Forbes. You're lucky someone didn't steal it."

"Tyler, I don't have time for this right now. I need to get going." I made sure he knew I was being serious.

"Come on, you know I have to ask, did you plan it?" He seemed extremely interested.

"As far as I know, people aren't really able to dictate their dreams. I'm definitely not the exception." I replied sternly, surprised by my calmness.

"Then, how?" he was as confused as I was, probably even more.

"I really have no idea, that's what I'm trying to figure out." I looked at him as I slipped the key into the ignition and started the car. He nodded, acknowledging the fact that I needed him to get out. He opened the door and stepped out. After shutting it, he peered in through the rolled-down window.

"Don't forget we're hanging out tonight." He raised his eyebrows quickly, in a flirtatious manner.

"How could I forget?" I rolled my eyes before giving him a playful evil stare.

**~%~%~%~%~**

The internet proved to be useless in this situation. I tried coming up with different variations for my search but that didn't help one bit. I went through the same process for an hour but every time I typed in 'werewolf' or 'vampire' I would get similar results. There were all kinds of legends about werewolves and vampires being sworn enemies, but besides that every thing else seemed to be Twilight this, Twilight that. Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson were hot but I was getting tired of seeing their faces pop up on my screen with every click of the mouse. I breathed out a sigh of frustration and closed my laptop.

_I give up._

I had no other choice but to go to the 'search engine of search engines', Stefan Salvatore. He was the only one that could help me in this situation, or at least I hoped so. The only thing I dreaded was running into Damon; I didn't want to deal with him questioning me about my 'relationship' with Tyler. He had made it perfectly clear that he wasn't supposed to know he and Stefan were vampires or I'd be in deep shit. I knew that if he found out I told Tyler that a werewolf bite was fatal to our kind, he'd want to break my neck on the spot. I had to avoid Damon's wrath at all costs, if I wanted to continue 'living'.

**~%~%~%~%~**

Stefan let me in and I was pleased to find out Damon wasn't home, apparently he had gone out of town to find himself a walking blood bank.

_Typical Damon._

"How's everything going with Tyler?" Stefan was always so serious, I could probably count with one hand the number of times I'd seen him smile, let alone laugh.

"He's doing fine. You know, dreading his next transformation a little bit but for the most part he's doing well." I reassured him, taking a seat on the sofa.

"Do you want something to drink?" He looked at me and I knew he wasn't talking about liquor.

_Come to think about it, I am a little hungry._

"Please?" I grinned.

He brought out a cup filled with blood, I could tell it was raccoon just from the smell. I drank it very casually as I began to explain the reason for my visit.

"I'm having a bit of trouble understanding something that's happening between Tyler and I."

"You came to ask for relationship advice?" he looked baffled and I laughed.

"No. It has nothing to do with a romantic involvement of any sorts."

_Yeah… right._

"I don't see anything wrong with you two getting involved, it's just the fact that he can be dangerous, fatal even. Plus…" he paused. "He doesn't know about Mason and you can't pretend that won't have a bad outcome." He said concerned.

"Stefan, really, I didn't come here to talk about that. But I'm glad I have your _blessing_." I chuckled at the word even though the whole Mason situation wasn't a laughing matter. "My problem is a bit more complicated." I slightly twisted my mouth. He raised his eyebrows, motioning me to continue. "I recently had a dream…"

_Definitely not going into details._

"…And I accidentally shared it with Tyler. I have no idea how or why that happened. I found out about it this morning and it kind of freaked me out. I was hoping, maybe you'd have some answers." He squinted his eyes and pursed his lips; I could tell he was deep in thought.

"That's definitely odd, seeing that you were the one dreaming, not him." He looked up at the ceiling as if searching for an answer. "Have you been drinking his blood?" I was taken aback by the question and shook my head. "Hmmm… I think the most reasonable assumption is that since you two shared two pretty traumatic experiences together, you've probably formed a bond, a connection, that's brought you a lot closer together than you anticipated." He looked convinced but not completely.

"You're on the right track, brother." I turned to find Damon standing in the doorway with a beautiful brunette wrapped around his arm. She looked weak and kept twirling strands of her long wavy hair on her finger. She smiled at Stefan and I just for a moment, before her attention returned to Damon; she seemed to only have eyes for him.

"Damon, how many times have I told you not to bring them back to the house? Someone's probably looking for her." Stefan's words were tense.

"You really need to learn how to be more carefree and have a little fun every once in a while, Stefan." He rolled his eyes and shook his head as he whispered something into the girl's ear. She nodded and made her way upstairs. He shifted his look between Stefan and me. "As I was saying… you're on the right track." Stefan looked at me, not knowing what was going to come out of Damon's mouth next.

"Would you care to elaborate?" I questioned. I didn't have complete faith in Damon but if he knew what was happening I wanted to know.

"Katherine and Mason." He said it, as if the names alone were supposed to trigger an epiphany. I shrugged.

"Blondie, you really do live up to the stereotypes of your hair color don't you?" I rolled my eyes, his words were starting to irritate me.

"Well, I'm not blonde and I'd also like to know what you meant." Stefan was just as annoyed.

"Oh, you're a different story little brother." A taunting smirk split his face. I exhaled calmly and looked around the room as if it was the first time I'd seen the place.

"Spill it, Damon." Stefan demanded. I could only imagine how difficult it was to live with someone like Damon 24/7. No wonder Stefan was rarely in good spirits.

"Ok, jeez, I'm just having a little fun. Way to rain on my parade." He complained about what a sourpuss Stefan was. Luckily, after he was done, he began to divulge more information.

"Stefan's right, you formed a _connection_," he motioned quotation marks with his fingers when he said the word, "with the werewolf the minute you two were involved in that car accident a few months ago. Not to mention you were also there during that crucial moment when he killed that _poor _girl and triggered the curse. You were the first person he saw when it happened. Oh and yes, you were also _kind _enough to accompany him during his first transformation. All the time you've been spending with the wolf has only made your bond stronger." I had no words, I looked at Stefan and he nodded, agreeing with everything Damon had just said.

All this time I had hoped the whole dream sharing had just been a fluke. The fact that it was something much more intense caught me off guard.

"Oh, but there's more. Katherine took advantage of the connection she had with Mason. Again, Stefan, you were pretty much correct. Drinking the wolf's blood _but_ also having him drink yours will seal the deal, at least until he _dies_." He widened his eyes and raised his eyebrows, Damon always found a way to make a joke out of everything.

"How do you know all this?" Stefan was suspicious.

"Believe it or not, there are benefits to torturing people, you shouldn't have left me alone with Mason. You missed out on very enlightening information." It was pretty obvious Damon wasn't lying and both Stefan and I knew it.

"I know, you must be wondering why I didn't say anything until now. Well, first off, I was hoping the wolf would kill blondie here, when he turned. And we know the sheriff wouldn't rest until she finally killed him for taking the life of her precious daughter, it would all be over after that." He paced back and forth as he continued.

"That obviously didn't happen." He rolled his eyes and shook his head in disappointment.

"The next best thing was for _this _to happen." He turned to me.

"Now all you have to do to be able to fully manipulate him, is exchange blood with your little wolf, that will turn him into, for lack of a better term, walking puppet. He could probably come in useful every once in a while, you know, why get our hands dirty when someone else can do it for you? Of course you'll have to lie a bit and proclaim your love for him first." I looked away.

Damon wasn't stupid. He knew I was hiding something as soon as I turned my head. He laughed.

"You're already in love with the wolf?" He was sitting right next to me now. He grabbed my chin with so much force; I thought it would break.

"Enough, Damon!" Stefan intervened and pulled him away.

"I'm just going to warn you Goldie Locks." He pointed at me with his index finger.

"If he finds out about us and what happened to Mason, _you_ are going to be the first one to stop breathing. I will personally make sure that happens." He was being serious; he would kill me if Tyler ever found out, I knew he would.

"Caroline won't let that happen. Even if Tyler does find out about us, I'm sure we'll find a way to reason with him." Stefan looked at me, waiting for a reply. I just nodded.

"Well, how about you just gain complete access to his head before that happens? You know what to do." Damon paced around and then continued. "Trust me, if I could do it myself I would." He didn't care about anyone else; he just wanted to make sure Tyler wouldn't seek revenge if he ever found out about Mason, and the only way to do that was for me to manipulate him into thinking Mason's death wasn't a big deal.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I thought carefully about everything on the drive home. I cared too much about Tyler to turn him into my _puppet_, as Damon had said. The more I thought about what my best option was the more I convinced myself that maybe blowing Stefan and Damon's cover wasn't so bad. The only way Tyler would understand and be able to help me was if he knew, but I wasn't prepared to tell him about Mason just yet. There were going to be holes in the story I was going to tell him, but I couldn't keep all these secrets to myself anymore. At this point, Tyler was the only person I could trust.

I got home, not surprised to find him waiting for me in my bedroom, after all we had agreed to go to the Grill that night. I walked towards him and threw myself in his arms. I wish I hadn't done anything to ruin the plans for the evening but I couldn't stop myself. As soon as our bodies made contact, I started sobbing uncontrollably, he didn't ask any questions. He just held me in his arms and that's all I wanted, nothing more than warmth and comfort.

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**A/N: I know this wasn't the most exciting chapter, but it was necessary. Reviews are much appreciated :D**


	6. Chapter 6: Half Truths

**A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! :) ****Hannah, I did not take that comment in a creepy way at all! ;) **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. **

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**Chapter 6 ~ Half-Truths**

The brightness of my room woke me up early. I opened my eyes and saw Tyler's face resting beside me. He looked so peaceful and innocent, like he wouldn't hurt a fly. I lay there for a few minutes just admiring his features. If someone would have told me three months ago, that I would one day be waking up next to Tyler Lockwood, I would've laughed in their face. I would've thought the only way something so ridiculous were to happen was if somehow I got drunk enough to not care to be added on to his list of conquests. I propped myself up on my elbow and hovered over him to get a look at the alarm clock on the other side of the bed. It was only 8:30 a.m.; I lay back down and tried to fall back asleep. I let a few minutes pass before I opened my eyes again. Tyler turned over on his stomach, putting his arm over me in the process. I covered my mouth trying not to laugh. His arm felt heavy, but it didn't bother me. I turned to look at him again and he wrinkled his nose when my hair brushed up against his face. It was actually kind of adorable.

The night before I had been a wreck. I promised I would explain everything to him today and he refused to leave me by myself after he saw me like that. We hugged for probably more than half an hour, as I tried to control my tears. When I finally stopped crying, I apologized for being a drama queen and ruining our plans to hang out at the Grill. He knew something serious was going on, but was courteous enough to not drill me for details. I remember I went downstairs, reheated leftovers and grabbed a couple of sodas from the refrigerator. He ate most it; I wasn't that hungry. After eating, we laid in bed watching TV until neither of us could keep our eyes open for much longer. Just as we were drifting off to sleep, we heard my mom unlock the front door and make her way upstairs. She knocked on my door and called out my name. I'd never seen Tyler so terrified; it was hilarious. I put my finger up to my mouth and told him to just be quiet. I opened the door just enough for my mom to see me, we said goodnight and she continued on to her room. When I returned to my bed I slipped under the covers, Tyler did the same.

"No funny business." I warned.

"Nothing will happen as long as you keep your dreams to yourself." He chuckled quietly and I elbowed him in the stomach.

"Fuck!" He bent over in pain.

"Shhh!"

"You don't have to hit me so hard, it was just a joke." He whispered. I tried really hard not to start laughing.

We were exhausted. It didn't take long before we were both asleep.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I was tired of just laying in bed. I carefully lifted Tyler's arm off of me and got up, tiptoeing to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and let the water run until I could feel the warm moisture in the air. The touch of the water was so relaxing; I wish I could've stayed there longer, but Tyler was probably up by now. I wrapped myself in a towel and slowly opened the door. I peeked into my room through the crack. My bed was empty.

_What else was I expecting from someone like Tyler?_

I was so stupid, how could I think he would stick around. He probably got scared I was going to take his 'feelings' for me seriously after this and ran off. I started cursing silently as I pulled a pair of boy-shorts and a bra from one of my drawers. I took the towel off and threw it over my computer chair. At the same time the door to my room opened. I looked up like a deer in headlights as I tried to cover my privates with my hands.

"Wow." Tyler mumbled as he stood there staring at me.

"Don't look at me!" I yelled, as I quickly grabbed the towel and covered myself up. He shut his eyes and turned away, apologizing for not doing it sooner.

"What the hell? I thought you were gone!" I was still shocked at what had happened. He turned around slowly.

"I'm sorry, I just really needed to pee and you were in the shower, so I had to go use the restroom downstairs." He explained. "And then I came in, and… just… wow."

"Can you please just stop saying that?" I started blushing. "I need to finish getting dressed, do you mind turning around?" He did as I asked.

"You really thought I left?" He talked into the wall as I finished putting on my clothes.

"You can turn around now. And yes. I thought maybe you had gotten scared or something." I brushed my hair and sprayed on some body mist.

"Mmmmm that smells really good. Like coconut and pineapple or something. And no. There's absolutely no reason for me to be scared about what happened. I already told you how I feel about you." He walked towards me and held my chin with his hand. "There's something between us and I'm not going to stop until you see it too." He smiled and then walked around my room, searching for something. "I do have to get home now, though. Have you seen my keys?"

"They're in one of the nightstand drawers." I pointed to it and he pulled them out, shaking them to show me he had found them.

"I need to go shower and run some errands. I'll give you a call later, so you can come over and we can talk about why you were so upset last night." He reached out and gave me a hug.

"Thank you." I squeezed him tightly before saying goodbye.

**~%~%~%~%~**

At 5 p.m. my phone rang, it was Tyler. I picked up and he asked me to come over whenever I was ready. That didn't take too long, my hair and make up were already done. I put on a pair of white shorts, a flowy lavender halter top and slipped on some sandals. I decided to drive there this time.

Tyler let me in and I was surprised to see Mrs. Lockwood in the living room reading a magazine. She looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Caroline. What a pleasant surprised to see you around here."

"Hi, Mrs. Lockwood. I'm just here to help Tyler out with a school project we have coming up." I smiled back and then looked at him.

"We'll be up in my room." Tyler looked at her and nodded once, then motioned me to follow him.

I'd never been in his room before. It was actually quite different from what I expected. The walls were blue-gray and he had two bookshelves on each side of his bed, one filled with movies, the other with books. There was a desk in the corner by the window, kind of messy. The laptop was open and there were a few post-its stuck to the printer. In front of his bed was a flat screen TV and right below it, a gaming system. He had a king size bed.

_Go figure, he must have been uncomfortable last night._

"You can go ahead and sit on it. I don't really have chairs in here, except for that computer one." He sat on the bed and patted it with his hand, signaling me to go sit by him.

I never thought his room would look so 'classy', if that was even the right word to describe it. I was expecting to walk in, find the bed undone and clothes laying everywhere. I don't know, posters of scantily clad women on the wall and maybe even a little smelly. I had never been so glad to be wrong. Then again, he could've cleaned up, knowing I was coming. I took a seat next to him, using one of his fluffy pillows as a backrest.

"So, did you clean up to impress me?" I joked. He looked surprised.

"What, you think I live in a pigpen or something? My room looks like this pretty much every day. I don't like having a mess everywhere." He smiled.

"Wow. I like it; it looks good. Bed's comfy, bet you hated having to sleep in a tiny space last night."

"Actually, I really enjoyed being all snuggled up with you." He tilted his head, searching for my eyes. I looked at him and couldn't help cracking a smile and lightly shaking my head. "I'll be right back, I'm going to get us some drinks."

**~%~%~%~%~**

We sat outside in his balcony. He had a small table out there with a couple patio chairs.

"Are you sure your mom won't hear us out here." I asked, as I leaned over the balcony.

"Nope. When I went downstairs to get some drinks, she was just leaving. She has more of a social life nowadays than me." He didn't seem bothered by it. "So…" he said, I looked at him and sat back down.

"Yeah, I know what you want to hear." I took a deep breath.

"Then tell me, what happened before you got home last night?" He leaned closer, giving me his full attention.

"Tyler, I really need you to listen very carefully. I'd also like it, if you didn't interrupt me and try your best to wait until I'm done to ask any questions. And please, please don't be angry with me." I warned him.

"Yeah, ok." He furrowed his eyebrows.

I took another deep breath and finally began to speak. I told him Damon and Stefan were also vampires. I explained my transformation to him, how Damon gave me some of his blood in order for me to survive after the car crash. Tyler's expression of surprise changed to remorse, knowing that I would've died that night, otherwise. I explained the best I could the situation with Katherine and how she was the one that ended my life. My eyes watered when I told him that I killed an innocent person at the carnival. Then I got to the part where I went to speak with Stefan after the whole dream incident occurred. I could feel my cheeks turning red and my temperature rising as I referenced it. I told him exactly what Damon had told me about our connection to each other and I explained what would happen if we were ever to exchange blood. He grabbed his hair and exhaled, trying to make sense of everything. I told him the reason I was so upset was because Damon threatened to kill me, if I were ever to reveal their secret. Not once, did I mention Katherine and Mason had a secret relationship and I definitely did not tell him Damon had killed his uncle.

"I was really scared. I didn't want Damon to hurt me, but I was also afraid for your life. If he ever finds out you know, he's going to consider you a threat. I couldn't live knowing I was responsible for something happening to you." I was being honest about that. I didn't want him to get hurt; the thought of losing him was the main reason I had been crying so much last night.

"Why did you keep that from me?" He stood up and leaned against the balcony railing. He had his back turned to me; I could tell he was upset.

"I was afraid." I looked down ashamed.

"I'm not going to pretend I'm ok with you keeping information from me." He said, still facing away. There was a long pause before he turned around. "But I'm not going to hold it against you." My eyes widened in surprise. His expression was somber until he finally pursed his lips. "I do need you to trust me from now on though. You can't lie to me anymore." He stepped forward and stood in front of me. His words hurt, knowing I was keeping so much more from him made me feel so low.

"I'm sorry." I hugged him, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Don't cry, I don't like seeing you like this." He wiped the tears from my cheeks and cupped my face. He kissed my forehead before embracing me once again.

"I think I know what'll cheer you up, come on." He grabbed my hand and led me downstairs, eventually ending up in the driveway.

"Your car?" I looked at him confused.

"Get in, we're going for a ride." He opened the door for me.

_Wow, quite the gentleman, who would've thought._

I hopped in the car; my insides began fluttering like butterflies.

**~%~%~%~%~**

"I do have one really quick question. I promise, I won't bring this up again, but I'm curious." He took his eyes off the road for a split second to look at me.

"What is it?" I began to feel a little uneasy, not knowing what he was referring to.

"You know, how you had that dream?" He didn't look at me this time, his eyes fixed on the road.

"Oh God." I crossed my arms and turned to my window, watching the blur of passing trees. "Honestly, this is embarrassing. I already told you why it happened, what else could you possibly want to know?" I noticed a slight smirk on his face.

_Maybe I shouldn't have asked that._

"Were there any more?" He looked at me again. "Dreams? I mean, all this time, I thought it was just my subconscious acting out things that may or may not have crossed my mind at some point." He smiled, his eyes on the road.

"Wait. You've had other dreams? How did you even know then, about the one I had?" I hadn't even thought about it before.

"I didn't. I just decided to test out the theory the next day at school and well, your expression pretty much confirmed my suspicions."

"You tricky bastard." I mumbled. He laughed, knowing that he had caught me off guard.

"Sorry. I just had to find out." He said smiling.

"Well, just to make things clear I've only had two dreams about you. If you must know, the first one involved a kiss in my room the other you already know about. And only one of them was…" I rolled my eyes, trying to think of the word.

"Wet." He finished my sentence. I punched him in the arm but he didn't even flinch.

"No. I was going to say, _filthy_. And that's it, we're done talking about this." I said, noticing he was slowing the car down.

"Ok, subject closed." He pulled over next to a beautiful two-story lake house and parked.

Everything was dark but the moon was bright enough to provide the necessary lighting. I got out of the car and walked towards the deck, the moon was glistening over the water and the current's gentle movements made everything so serene. To think that for one night every month, that same moon was responsible for pain and chaos. I looked at the property now behind us; there was something familiar about it.

"This place is beautiful, I feel like I've been here before." I looked around once again, to see if there was anything in particular that I recognized. The gazebo to the right of the house caught my attention.

"Yeah, you've been here before. Not in years though." He looked at me, trying to get me to remember.

"Your birthday." I said. I smiled wide, remembering Tyler blowing out the six candles on his cake. His mom had invited everyone in our class, it had been one of the few times Tyler and I actually had some fun together as children.

"Yup. Don't you sometimes wish you could go back to when you didn't have a single thing to worry about and just leave all this supernatural bullshit behind?" He paused. I was about to answer when he continued. "Then again, that's what brought us together in the first place and it's hard for me to say this, but I wouldn't trade it for anything." The butterflies in my stomach intensified when I heard his words. I was falling for him and he was right, I couldn't deny it anymore.

"Me either." I looked at him, tilting my head slightly. He immediately realized what I meant by that and smiled.

"Are you saying…"

"Yes." I cut him off. "But I'm still worried about what Matt will think. So let's take it slow. Give me a few days, there has to be a way to ease him into it."

"Whatever you want." He hugged me and then brushed his lips against mine. His warm breath was intoxicating. Before I knew it, our lips embraced in a long, burning, passionate kiss. I was engulfed in his scent; he had never smelled more delicious. We were wrapped up in each other and I couldn't seem to get enough of him. When we finally pulled away, after what had felt like forever, he lifted my chin and gave me a sweet peck on the lips. I giggled like a young schoolgirl getting her first kiss.

"I did bring you here for a reason, you know?" He took a hold of my hand and we walked over to the front door. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked it. My eyes widened and I felt my chest tightening. "Don't worry, I didn't bring you here for _that_." His words calmed me down. "Not that I don't want to, it's just different with you. You're not like the other girls." The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile.

"Of course not. Other girls don't drain the life out of poor animals." I looked at him and he laughed.

"You know, exactly what I meant by that. I don't want you to think that's all I want you for because I don't. I care too much about you to make you feel like just another girl." He explained. His words meant so much to me.

"Thank you for thinking that way about me. No one's ever said that to me before." I gave him a peck on the lips. "Now, why _did_ you bring me here?" The curiosity was eating at me.

"Your birthday is in two weeks. I know you're always the one planning things and setting everything up, but you've had quite a rough time lately. I'm not surprised it hasn't been on the top of your priority list." He continued talking as we walked around the house. "So what do you think about having your birthday party here?" I opened my mouth in excitement and I flashed him a huge smile.

"I love the idea! After all, how many more birthdays will I be able to celebrate before people start noticing I'm not getting any older?" I pouted.

"Don't worry about that, Caroline. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I loved that he included himself in my future but I also dreaded the consequences of my lies.

"Yeah…" I replied.

"So it's set then, we'll have your party here. We'll invite everyone, I promise it'll be the best one yet." He held my face and made an over-excited face. I laughed at his silliness.

We still had to find a way to not just drop the bomb on Matt, but the more I thought about it the harder it was to find a way to let him know. Tyler and I decided we'd just be discreet about things when he was around, we figured he'd eventually come to understand it and then we could be more open about it. The hard part now was putting that plan into action.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! You know what to do... ;) **


	7. Chapter 7: Make a Wish

**A/N: Happy New TVD Episode Day! =) hahaha I can't believe it's finally here! Thank goodness! This hiatus has been painful!**

**Just watched the new interview of Michael on KTLA, go watch it if you haven't, it's great! :) He said something about 'dirty... little secrets' being revealed soon and I was like o_O LMFAO Yes, I get amused easily. **

**DegrassiEclareFTW: your story does NOT suck! I actually read it a while back, I thought I had signed up for alerts. I see there are 6 chapters now, I have to catch up! I'm thinking of just starting all over again from the beginning, that way I can give you the proper reviews :)**

******I really hope you guys like this chapter, I worked quite hard on it! haha. It's long, compared to the previous ones I've posted and it's definitely my favorite so far ;)**  


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**Chapter 7 ~ Make a Wish**

The week that followed consisted of only planning my party and hanging out with Tyler. Elena volunteered to take care of all the decorations and even signed up Stefan for the job as well. Not like he had a choice anyway. Tyler said he would take care of the food and drinks, including the cake. He and I had been pretty much inseparable during school and we both noticed Matt's awareness. We always made sure to leave the kissing for a more private time but it was obvious that we were more than friends at this point. With only five days before the big day, my excitement was through the roof.

_Talk about heightened emotions._

I arrived at school eager to get the week over with. I was walking down the hall to my locker when I heard Matt's voice behind me.

"You've been a little distant lately." I turned around, here it was, the moment of truth, or so I thought.

"Hey." I smiled; he was serious at first but eventually cracked a smile back.

"So are you and Tyler best friends now or something?" He asked sarcastically but I knew it worried him.

"You know, I never realized what a good guy he actually is." I replied as I turned the dial on my locker, trying to remember the combination. He laughed and looked at me like I was crazy.

"You think Tyler's a _good guy_, how did that even happen?" He lowered his voice and looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Don't you remember how he treated Vicki? What about my mom? A _good guy_ doesn't do things like that." He leaned in closer. I opened my locker and pulled out a binder before closing it again. "Honestly, Caroline. Have you ever thought that maybe all he wants is to get to you next? I mean, he was involved with my sister, he kissed my mom, and now he's after my ex-girlfriend? I never thought you'd lend yourself to one of his little games." I didn't know what to say, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I couldn't help feeling sorry for Matt, he was right; Tyler had been a real asshole when it came to the women in his life but we had something different.

"We're not playing a game. Tyler's changed and I honestly don't think he ever meant to hurt you by doing all those things. Besides if he was just interested in taking me to bed he would've tried to already." I took a hold of his hands. "Thank you for your concern but I think I can take care of myself." I smiled and squeezed his hands before letting go. "Oh and by the way, I expect to see you at the lake house this Saturday. It's my birthday, you can't say no." I walked away to my next class and bumped into Tyler as I bent the corner.

"He's right. A good guy doesn't do stuff like that." He looked down at the ground.

"Tyler, please. Can we leave that where it belongs? In the past." I pleaded.

"So you're telling me it doesn't bother you? You're absolutely fine with being with someone like me?"

"Someone like _you_? Ok, Tyler, seriously, I'm not going to let you do this to yourself or to me. I'd like to think I'm smart enough to make the right decisions. I meant what I said to Matt, _you've changed_. Yeah, I might not have liked _past_ Tyler but I can't help liking you now. I know you a lot better than everybody else. They can judge you all they want but they'll never change the way I think and feel about you." I tilted my head and smiled. He wrapped his arms around me and I was just beginning to enjoy his embrace when Matt turned the corner and saw us. We slowly pulled away but he continued walking.

"Awkward much?" Tyler whispered.

"He knows something's up, he might as well get used to it." I replied with a worried look on my face.

**~%~%~%~%~**

A couple days before the party Tyler and I finally had our game of pool. He laughed at me for scratching a couple times but feeling Matt's eyes fixed on us wasn't letting me concentrate. I thought he had the day off at the Grill but apparently some last minute changes in the schedule had him working that night. He would dart his eyes our way every time he was cleaning tables or taking someone's order. We tried our best to enjoy our time there but I just couldn't help noticing him. Tyler ended up winning three out of five games.

"I guess that means I get to buy you a drink?" I playfully pushed him as we made our way to the bar. I ordered him a Jack and Coke and I got myself a Midori Sour. We sat back at the table where he continued to tease me about my loss.

"That convulsion thing comes in quite handy." He said. I burst out laughing.

"Are you drunk already?" I teased. "It's _compulsion_." I corrected him, still laughing.

"What did I say?" He asked, confused. I couldn't stop myself from laughing even more. I would be torturing him all night with that.

"What?... Oooooh" he said, laughing. "I feel pretty stupid, thanks." He said.

"Can I get you guys anything?" Matt interrupted our private party. The laughing stopped and the smiles disappeared. He had his eyes fixed on Tyler and Tyler on me.

"No, we're ok. Thank you." I smiled at him but he just nodded and continued on to the next table. I looked at Tyler and he raised his eyebrows and slightly twisted his mouth. We both knew it was time to go. If it wasn't obvious to Matt by now that we had more than friendship going on, then he was a lot more naïve than we thought.

**~%~%~%~%~**

The day of my birthday was finally here. I stood in front of the mirror with my hands on my hips. The cute little red tube top dress I had chosen looked better than I thought. I had my pink polka dot bathing suit underneath, ready to jump in the water at a moment's notice. I left my hair curly and styled it in a side-swept ponytail. I was looking for my sandals when I heard a knock at the door.

"Caroline! Tyler's here!"

"I'll be down in a minute, Mom!" I scurried around my room, making sure I wasn't forgetting anything. I opened my bedroom door and jumped when I saw my mom standing in front of me.

"Mom, you scared me." I placed my hand on my chest and exhaled. She leaned in and lowered her voice.

"Is the Lockwood kid your boyfriend? I've been seeing a lot of him lately." She looked at me like I had done something wrong.

"Um, yeah, I guess he is. Why?" I hadn't really been confronted with that question, but even though he hadn't officially asked me to be his girlfriend, we were exclusive.

"I thought you were dating Matt, that's all. He seems like a nicer kid than Tyler, but I've known the Lockwoods my whole life and they're a respectable family." I couldn't believe my mom was talking to me about boys, now.

"Mom, Tyler's a great guy, trust me. You'll see. I have to go now. Oh, and don't expect me home tonight!" I ran down the stairs before she had a chance to reply, let alone react.

Tyler greeted me with a hug and kiss, and wished me Happy Birthday, even though he had already done so thru text at midnight. He helped me carry my things to the car.

"You're car is surprisingly empty, where's all your stuff?" I asked, pointing at the empty trunk.

"I already made a trip to the house earlier. You should've seen it then, I was afraid I wasn't going to have enough space to fit everything." He grinned.

"It's 10 a.m. We had plenty of time to set things up before everyone else got there."

"What? You thought I was going to make you work on your special day? Come on." He motioned me to get in the car.

**~%~%~%~%~**

It was a beautiful spring day. The warmth of the sun was already intensifying even thought it was still early. The lake house looked even more impressive in the daylight. I noticed the balloons decorating the entrance as soon as we parked. We got out of the car and my eyes caught sight of a volleyball net set up a few feet from the gazebo, there were also float rafts and loungers by the lake. I looked at Tyler with so much excitement and clapped my hands together like a little girl. He laughed as he took my bags out of the trunk. As soon as we walked in the house I was greeted by smiling faces and shouts of 'Happy Birthday'. I laughed as I held on to Tyler's arm and at the same time I felt dumb for not noticing everyone's car on the other side of the house.

"Oh my God! I can't believe you guys got here so early! Thank you so much!" I clasped my hands together. Elena was the first one to run towards me and give me a big hug.

"We wanted to start the party early!" She put her arm around me and rested her head on my shoulder as she pulled out a camera and took our picture.

There were balloons floating on the ceiling and star-shaped cutout decorations hanging everywhere. In front of the entrance there was a big sign that read 'Happy 18th Birthday' in pink and purple glittery letters, and different colors of streamers going from one wall to the other in a twisted fashion.

"You guys really went all out on the decorations. It looks amazing!" I smiled as I glanced around the room, admiring everything.

"I can't take all the credit, Stefan helped." Elena said, turning to Stefan. "A little." She smiled and winked at him and he just nodded in agreement, his arms crossed over his chest.

There were a few people there from the football team and the cheerleading squad. The people I considered family consistent only of a small group of friends and I was more than grateful for having them there with me. Elena and Stefan went upstairs to change into their bathing suits, while Bonnie and Jeremy made their way outside to set up the beer pong table and play volleyball, or so they said. Tyler went upstairs to put my things away in his room. Everyone else grabbed some drinks and made their selves comfortable. I chatted with every one until I caught sight of Matt out of the corner of my eye and immediately turned to him.

"I'm glad you decided to show up." I grinned.

"I had no choice. It's your birthday." He laughed and gave me a big hug. "Here," he handed me a square-shaped box with a purple bow on top. "I hope you like it. It's not the most expensive thing but it made me think of you." I held it in my hands and looked up at him again and smiled.

"Thank you. I know I'm going to like it." I placed it on the table with the rest of the gifts. We walked over to the rest of the group and told them to get ready to go swimming in a bit.

**~%~%~%~%~**

Almost everyone was in the water already. I pulled down my dress and started walking towards to the shore. I suddenly heard stopping behind me, when I turned around, Tyler had already picked me up on his arms and was carrying me towards the deck. I started yelling and asking him to put me down. He took a leap off the deck, landing both of us in the water. I undid my ponytail and splashed water at him, complaining about my wet hair, he just laughed along with everyone else. I decided I wasn't going to be the only one with wet hair at the party so I swam underneath every single one of them and knocked them off their floating rafts and loungers until there was no one left that was dry. Elena climbed on Stefan's shoulders and opened her arms towards the sun, soaking up the heat. Everyone was having such a great time.

"Who's up for a chicken fight?" She asked as she squinted her eyes and looked around.

"We are!" Matt yelled, and before I knew it he had his head in between my legs and was lifting me out of the water. My eyes widened as I tried to keep my balance. Elena came at me with full force, but she was no match for my strength, even though Stefan was helping her. It didn't take long for me to knock her off his shoulders and into the water.

"You can put me down now." I looked down at Matt.

"What if she wants a re-match?"

"Doesn't seem like she does." We both looked over at Elena and Stefan who were now making out in the middle of the lake. Matt proceeded to put me down. Tyler came up behind me and grabbed me by the waist.

"Someone else wants to play chicken." He said as he lifted me up and put his head between my legs. Matt let out an annoyed grunt and swam away.

"Who wants to play?" I asked Tyler. I looked around but didn't see anybody else ready.

"No one. I wasn't going to let Matt put his hands all over you again." He looked up at me and I pinched his cheeks.

"Tyler Lockwood jealous?" I teased.

"Don't pretend you wouldn't care if I had been carrying some other chick on my shoulders and kept running my hands up and down her thighs." He eluded the question, not that I needed it answered. I simply smiled pleased by his reaction.

**~%~%~%~%~**

Elena and Stefan brought us some drinks and we lounged around on the floats talking and laughing about everything that came to mind. After a while, Jeremy called out for us to come join them for a game of beer pong.

"Let the games begin!" Tyler said with a smirk on his face. He held my hand as we walked out of the water and made our way to the table. Matt looked irritated but made an effort to go along with the fun.

We all put our clothes back on and broke into teams to begin playing. I was surprised at how accurate my throws were. Unfortunately for Matt and Elena their aim wasn't looking so good. We played a couple games before everyone started getting hungry. Tyler set up the barbeque and the guys started cooking burgers and hot dogs. Stefan called me into the house, while everyone was busy eating. He pulled a couple bags of blood out of his backpack. I laughed at how ridiculous it looked; we were like a couple of junkies ready for our fix. After we were done with our 'meal' we returned outside and joined everyone else, munching on food here and there. Right after eating, I decided it would be the best time to cut the cake. I didn't want everyone to get too hammered and not be able to enjoy it. Tyler brought it out to the table under the gazebo. I looked at him and laughed, remembering that was the spot he had blown out his candles many years ago. It was a small but beautiful two-tier white cake, decorated with pink and lavender flowers and 'Happy Birthday Caroline' written in fancy cursive on the side. Tyler pushed in number '1' and '8' candles on the top and Jeremy lit them with a match. They all gathered around me and began singing 'Happy Birthday'. I looked at every one of them and smiled.

"Wait, wait!" Elena said after they were done. She pulled out her camera and handed it to one of the girls. We all squeezed closed together as she took our picture. "Don't forget to make a wish." She whispered.

I closed my eyes and made my wish. I knew it was a selfish one, but most wishes are, and I really hoped this one would come true. I looked over at Tyler and flashed him a smile before blowing out the candles. I made sure to cut the cake in big enough pieces so we wouldn't get stuck with a lot of leftovers. It was the most scrumptious piece of chocolate cake with raspberry filling I had ever had.

**~%~%~%~%~**

The sun was already setting on the horizon. Matt and Stefan began piling some wood into a pit to make a bonfire. I sat with Bonnie and Elena sipping on some cranberry vodka. Bonnie made an effort to apologize for being distant and rude lately and explained that she was just going through a lot. I told her I didn't blame her and accepted her apology. I was happy to see Elena so relaxed and carefree. Mostly everyone was already pretty drunk, and she wasn't the exception.

"I love you Caroline" She hugged me, putting all her weight on me.

"And I love you Elena" I replied and smiled at Bonnie.

Jeremy came over, holding a shot glass in one hand and a quarter in the other.

"We can't have a party and not play quarters." He explained. I nodded in agreement. Elena looked up and clapped.

"Yay!" she exclaimed. She curled her finger, calling Stefan over. "Come here sexy… you're playing too." She winked at him and he grinned as he walked towards her. She stood up and with one hand squeezed his butt; Stefan moved her hand and cleared his throat. Bonnie and I looked at each other and laughed. Jeremy made a disturbed face and walked away.

We all sat by the fire and placed a piece of cardboard underneath the shot glass. Matt filled up another one with Jager. Since I was the birthday girl, I got to go first. I concentrated and hit the quarter against the cardboard; it went into the shot glass with precision.

"Who's it going to be?" Matt asked, holding up the shot. Before I could even answer, he drank it.

"That's not how you play." I laughed and he poured another one. "Hmmm… Bonnie! You seem like you need to take a few more." I blew a kiss at her as she gave me an evil stare. She took it like a champ.

We kept making the rounds until we all eventually took a few shots, some of us more than others. Bonnie and Elena were pretty drunk by this point but they were having so much fun. I was starting to feel a buzz. Tyler sat next to me and put his arm around me, I rested my head on his shoulder as Matt took his turn with the quarter. He made it in and without any hesitation pointed at me.

"You're going to have to get her more drunk than that if you want to get lucky tonight." He said looking at Tyler. I lifted my head off his shoulder and put my hand on his chest.

"Don't say anything, he's drunk." I whispered in his ear and I heard him let out a small growl.

"Come on Matt, don't ruin the fun." Jeremy said, gently pushing his shoulder.

I reached for the shot glass and took a swig. I handed it back to Matt and he poured himself another shot and stood up.

"So what's the deal, Tyler?" I knew where this was going, and I wasn't going to let it happen.

"Matt, now is not the time to talk about this. If you're going to start shit, I suggest you leave." I said firmly.

"I'm just asking, what the fucking deal is? Tell me Tyler, what's the fucking deal?" He raised his voice with every word.

The other people there noticed the party had come to a halt and decided it would be better if they just left. They all crammed into two cars and said they would be back for the other two the next day. I was so angry with Matt for killing everyone's buzz. After saying goodbye to them we all went back inside the house. We hadn't even been there for 30 minutes when Bonnie started bugging Jeremy about leaving and he eventually gave in to her pleads. Elena sat with Stefan on the couch, I could tell she was in a frisky mood; completely unaware of what was going on between Tyler, Matt, and I. I found a bottle of whisky in one of the cabinets and poured myself a glass. I walked outside again and sat on the porch. Tyler came and sat beside me and I shared my drink with him. It wasn't long before Matt walked outside and continued with the instigations.

"I really don't get it Tyler. What do you want to do? Do you just want to fuck her like all the other girls in your life?" He looked at Tyler and shrugged. Tyler stood up; I knew this wasn't going to end well.

"Look, I'm not going to explain myself to you, especially in your condition." He was serious.

"You fuck everything that moves. That's who you are. I just wish you had the balls to tell me straight to my face that you want to fuck my ex-girlfriend. That you've _always_ wanted to." His speech was slurred but he seemed to be doing quite well keeping his balance.

"It's not about fucking your ex-girlfriend, Matt. Why can't you just see that Caroline's different?" Tyler was starting to lose his cool.

"Different than who? My sister? My mom? You can't praise Caroline without insulting them." He argued.

"Matt, this isn't about them." I intervened.

"You, shut up. Trying to pretend you're the innocent one here." He walked towards me and took a hold of my arm. "Did you fuck him already? You did, didn't you?" I shook his hand off of me.

"You're drunk." I said calmly and walked inside the house. I asked Stefan if he could please give Matt a ride home, I was tired of listening to his nonsense. Stefan had been listening all along but didn't want to get involved in the discussion. I was looking around for Elena's purse when I heard what sounded like punches. Both Stefan and I looked at each other and ran outside. Matt and Tyler were rolling around on the ground; Tyler's lip was bleeding and Matt had an open wound on his eyebrow right above his left eye. Stefan and I tried pulling them away but Tyler was strong and Matt wasn't budging either. When we eventually separated them, Matt threw a last kick and hit Tyler in the stomach; he bent over in pain.

"That's enough Matt!" Stefan held on to him until he calmed down. They were like two roosters in a cockfight, as soon as we let them go they went at each other again. Punching and kicking, they were both a bloody mess. We pulled them apart once again and this time I didn't waste any time. I practically dragged Tyler into the house while Stefan kept a hold of Matt. Elena came outside with her purse on her hand and apologized, even though she had absolutely nothing to do with it. I gave her a hug and thanked her for everything. Stefan helped Matt into the back seat of his car and I helped Elena into the passenger seat.

"Thank you, Stefan. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been here."

_Probably knock out Matt again._

"It's not a problem." We gave each other a hug and they went on their way.

**~%~%~%~%~**

"It's a good thing you heal fast." I said, pressing a bag of ice onto Tyler's lip. He leaned on the counter and pulled his head back.

"Easy, just because I heal fast doesn't mean I don't feel pain."

"You should've tried to ignore him. He was drunk and didn't know what he was saying." I said calmly.

"I couldn't help it. I wasn't going to let him insult you, I don't care how drunk he was, that's not an excuse." He took the bag of ice from my hand and threw it in the sink with force.

"What's wrong?" I said confused and a little frightened by his display of anger.

"Sorry, I'm just on edge or something. I think it might be the nearing of the full moon. My body temperature's definitely rising, I can feel it." He took off his shirt and I couldn't help but admire his physique, even though I had already seen him like that throughout the day. "Let's go for a swim." He smirked. I looked at him and pursed my lips.

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulous.

"Yeah, why not? I'm burning up." He said.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. But ok, you need to make up for what just happened here." I raised one eyebrow and bit my lower lip.

"Actually, you know what?" He held his finger up, motioning me to stay in place. "I'll be right back, I need to go get something first." He ran upstairs. A few seconds later he walked down carrying a large thin rectangular gift with a tiny box sitting on top of it.

"What is it?" I said as he handed them to me.

"They're your presents. I hope you like them." He looked kind of nervous.

I couldn't resist the temptation and started opening the small box first. Inside was a small black velvet case. I looked up at him, knowing it had to be jewelry.

"I hope you didn't spend too much on this." I proceeded to open the case and my mouth dropped open when I saw the beauty it concealed. It was a white gold necklace with a crescent-shaped diamond encrusted pendant. I lifted it up, the slightest hint of light made it sparkle and shine; it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Oh my God, it's gorgeous! You shouldn't have." I looked at him and he smiled, please by my reaction.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I love it! Thank you!" I hugged him tightly and as I put my arms around his neck I noticed there was something inscribed on the back of the pendant. I turned it over and read it almost in a whisper. 'Thank you for being by my side on the longest night'. I brought my face close to his. Our foreheads touched and our noses brushed against each other. We stood there in silence and then he said the words I thought I'd never hear.

"I love you Caroline." I smiled.

"I love you too." I replied.

"No, I mean, I'm in love with you." He explained, as if I had understood differently.

"I know what you meant." I giggled. "And I'm in love with you too." Our lips finally met, soft and sweet at first until we delved into each other. He parted my lips, exploring my mouth with his tongue. I could feel the euphoria rushing through my veins as we breathed each other in. Our heart beats gaining speed with every passing second.

"You have to open one more." He whispered into my lips. We slowly pulled away and I handed him the necklace so he could put it on me. As he did that I began ripping the paper off the other gift. I put my hand over my mouth as soon as I realized what it was.

"Wow. Tyler, I don't know what to say."

"I couldn't stop thinking about you after that night. I had that image of you in my head and I finally decided to just put it down on paper." He smiled.

It was one of Tyler's best drawings and it wasn't just because he had chosen me as his subject. It was a full body portrait of me wearing the red dress from the Masquerade Ball. I had my back slightly turned with my head looking down over my shoulder. He had captured every curve of my body perfectly, and he paid close attention to detail when it came to my hair and facial features.

"It's amazing. I really have no words, it's the best gift anyone's ever given me." I grinned, placing the drawing on the table.

"How about that swim now?" He suggested. I nodded as I pulled down my dress. He scanned me up and down and then pointed at the necklace.

"You should probably take that off."

"Will you, please." I turned around and lifted my hair as he unclipped it. "Hmmm, maybe one of these days you can draw me wearing nothing else but just the necklace. Like in Titanic." I laughed as I turned to him. He nervously rubbed the tip of his nose with his hand and smiled. I gasped, "Is Tyler Lockwood blushing?" I teased him, this was the first time I had ever seen him like that and it was quite entertaining.

"I'm not. You just made my mind go to a very dirty place. It's a good thing you can't read minds." I could've sworn he was still blushing.

"Really?" I gently traced a line from his chest down to his belly button and played around with the elastic band of his swimming trunks, pretending to take a peek inside them. I watched his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed.

"This is definitely not helping." He said nervously as he looked down at me. I bit my lower lip and he licked his before pressing them against mine with force. Our bodies collided and I could feel his length growing and becoming harder as he pushed against me. He pulled away, looked me straight in the eye with his mouth slightly twisting into a smirk.

"What?" I asked breathless.

His smirk turned into a full smile as he grabbed me by the waist. I shrieked when he threw me over his shoulder and took me out of the house.

**~%~%~%~%~**

The water was nice and cool and the moon glistened above us. I floated on my back and looked up at the stars.

"You're missing out on an astounding view." I told him.

"No, I don't think I am." He said as he traced patterns on my stomach.

I lifted myself up and put my arms around his neck, running my hands through his wet hair. We kissed desperately; we had both wanted this for so long and nothing was going to stop us now. He ran his hands across the length of my back and down to my thighs before setting them on my ass. He gently squeezed it as he ran his lips all over my neck. I let out a quiet moan and caressed his chest with both of my hands. I proceeded to rub his hardness, gently at first and then with more pressure.

"Fuck." He tilted his head back and closed his eyes as he groaned.

I moved my tongue along his neck and onto his ear. Knowing how much pleasure he was experiencing made me ache with desire. He untied my bathing suit top and threw it onto the deck. My nipples stiffened at the touch of the cold water on my bare skin.

"Ooooh" I whimpered as he softly pinched them between his thumb and index finger. He gently bit my lower lip before his mouth made his way down to my breasts. He took a hold of my thighs and I wrapped them around his waist as he took one of my nipples into his mouth. I could feel his dick rubbing up against me; my clit pulsed uncontrollably, anticipating what was coming.

I threw my head back basking in the pleasure he was giving me. His hands began pulling down the remaining piece of my bathing suit and then he did the same with his, throwing both of them onto the deck. I wrapped my legs around him again. We stared into each other's eyes as he guided himself into me, I could feel him slowly entering me. My lips parted slightly.

"Tyler…" I breathed into his mouth as he slowly penetrated me deeper.

He let out a moan. I could feel the blood pumping through his veins, it was inviting but the feeling of ecstasy he brought upon me was stronger. He began pushing himself in and out of me, we were both breathing heavily and I licked his lips before darting my tongue into his mouth. We thrust our hips into each other, the water splashed around us, I wanted him in deeper; I couldn't get enough. Every cell in my body was vibrating with pleasure. We moved in sequence for what seemed like hours, neither of us growing tired of the other.

"Faster, Ty…. I'm almost there…" He did as I asked.

I felt my body start to shake until I finally reached that peak. I grabbed his hair and fisted my hands; he knew he had put me over the edge. It was the most amazing sensation I had ever felt, no one had ever made me come like that. He showered me with kisses on my forehead, cheek, and finally ended on my mouth. I heard grumbling in his chest and could feel his end getting close. He pushed in harder and I felt his body tense up.

"Fuck… Caroline…" He gave one last hard thrust and I immediately felt the warmth of his release as he came inside me. We wrapped our arms around each other, both exhausted and breathless. He kissed my lips before grabbing our clothes from the deck. He took me in his arms and into the house just as he had carried me out.

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**A/N: Yes, I know there's no condom involved. NOT promoting unprotected sex AT ALL, I just figured... vampire/wolf, in my story there aren't any consequences ;) That's all. **

**Please review, love you all & enjoy the new episode tonight. BTW... that Forwood kiss is definitely longer than in the previews ;) Squeee!**


	8. Chapter 8: Truth Be Told

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm updating sooner than I thought! I'm going to be away this coming weekend and part of next week so I won't have time to update those days. I decided to post a chapter a day, starting today and ending Thursday. **

**Just a fair warning: this story is coming to a close. I expect to have it completed by next Friday (Feb. 11). **

**In other news: "The Descent" was so good! That kiss was amazing and this week's episode looks INTENSE! I can't wait!**

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**Chapter 8 ~ Truth Be Told**

The faint sound of roaring car engines woke me up. I opened my eyes and smiled when I saw Tyler's face only a few inches away. He was still asleep. I figured people had come by to pick up the cars they had left behind last night. I sat up on the bed, wearing nothing but his white wife-beater. I was about to go to the window to see who it was when he took a hold of my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, still half-asleep. I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I was just going to check who came for their cars."

"I have a better idea." He pulled me back down, my head hitting the pillow, and climbed on top of me. I giggled when I felt his lips touch my skin. "Last night, was unlike any other." He said as he continued kissing my neck.

"Aren't I amazing?" I teased.

"I'm serious. It was the most mind-blowing experience I've had in my life. The sensation was indescribable. You truly are _amazing_." He smiled as he ran his hands all over my body.

"Well then, maybe we should have a little recap of last night." I said flirtatiously, quickly rolling him over on his back and straddling him. It didn't take him long to get me out of his shirt.

The night before had been incredible. I couldn't think of any better way to start off our morning than by doing it all over again, this time in the comfort of his bed.

**~%~%~%~%~**

After taking a shower and eating breakfast, Tyler suggested I should open the rest of my presents. I sat in the middle of the living room and began opening the boxes and gift bags. Elena had made me a scrapbook and Stefan had given me a journal. I received a few gift cards, perfumes and makeup. Bonnie had actually taken the time to make me a bracelet, like the ones we used to wear when we were younger. I figured it was her way of trying to patch things up and letting me know she wasn't going to the let the whole vampire thing come between us again. I was finally down to the last present. I looked up at Tyler who was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed; he smiled.

"This one's from Matt." I said. He nodded once acknowledging my statement.

I began unwrapping it and laughed as soon as I opened it. It was a fishing game for kids. The more I thought about it, the more I laughed.

"What's that all about?" Tyler asked, confused.

"Oh, we went fishing once. I wasn't very good at it." I said, still smiling. He just raised his eyebrows, not looking very amused.

"What's that?" He asked, pointing to the bottom of the box.

I lifted up the game and noticed Matt had also included a book. I reached for it; it was a stargazing guide. I sat there in silence, reminiscing about my time with him. I looked up at Tyler again and I knew that no matter how great things had been with Matt, nothing could compare to what I had with him. I smiled at him and began gathering up my gifts. Tyler left the room and came back with some trash bags.

"Now, the real fun begins." He said sarcastically. I laughed, grabbing a few bags and taking them outside with me.

There wasn't a lot of trash to pick up; everyone had done a pretty good job at using the trashcans. I did my best to leave everything looking as clean as possible. When I got to the other side of the house, I noticed Matt's car was still there. It was the only one remaining. Tyler came out a few minutes later with his bags of trash full.

"Matt's car is still here." I said, picking up an empty beer bottle.

"Maybe he'll come pick it up later." He replied.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe I could take it to him." I stammered. He dumped the trash bags next to a tree and turned around. "I have to admit, I'm a little worried about him and I want to see how he's doing." I explained, he didn't say a word. I grabbed my bags and carried them over to where he was.

"Is that all?" He finally asked.

"Yes, that's all. Your wounds are healed but I doubt he looks as good as you do." I paused before continuing. "You have nothing to worry about." I said, as he turned to look at me, his gaze softened. "If anything, after everything that's happened, you should feel perfectly comfortable with me visiting him. No one's ever going to change what we have." I smiled until he finally did the same.

"Yeah, you're right. I just can't help feeling a little overprotective of you." He looked at a bit embarrassed.

"And I love you for it, but Matt's no longer an issue." I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a kiss. "I won't take long at his place. I'll give you a call when I leave so we can meet up. The full moon is rapidly approaching and we need to see what we're going to do about that."

"Yeah, sounds good." He agreed, playfully slapping my butt as I walked away.

**~%~%~%~%~**

It didn't take me long to find Matt's spare car key hidden under one of the wheel wells. I made my way to his house, hoping he wasn't in too bad of shape. I rang the doorbell a few times before I heard the creaking of wood coming from inside. I heard him approach the door but he didn't open it. I stood there, knowing he was probably peering through the peephole. I looked around as if I wasn't aware of his presence behind the door. I rang the doorbell again and he hesitated for a few seconds but finally decided to turn the knob. He cracked it open and stuck his head out. I could see the bruises on his face were still fresh.

"Can I come in?" I asked. "I brought your car." I motioned over to the driveway with my head.

"Thanks." He said quietly, opening the door all the way so I could go inside.

The house was dark. I walked into the living room and sat on the sofa. I looked up at him as he walked in behind me.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit. Everything hurts and the hangover isn't helping one bit." He replied as he sat down on the sofa next to me. "Caroline…" I turned to him, waiting for him to continue. "I'm so sorry, for everything that happened. I didn't mean to start an argument, let alone a fist fight." He said, stumbling over his words.

"Yeah, well, we're just gonna have to make sure you don't have too much to drink next time." I raised my eyebrows.

"I know you and Tyler are together, and I also know there's nothing that can be done to change your mind. I acted like a complete asshole last night and I shouldn't have insulted you or him." He said apologetically.

"Look, Matt. I know you don't think very highly of Tyler and I understand why, but don't assume he's still the same person he was back then. I can assure you, he's changed. A lot." I explained. He looked down, unconvinced.

"I care about you and don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

"Well, if I get hurt then it's on me. Right? You did your part by trying to warn me to stay away." I smiled at him. "Oh! I opened my presents this morning. Yours were definitely unique." I chuckled. He tried to laugh and quickly realized the pain that caused him.

"I'm glad you found it amusing." He said.

"Yeah, one of them was."

We talked and joked around about how I should've brought the game over so we could've played. I kept checking the time on my phone, making sure I wasn't overstaying my welcome.

"You have somewhere you need to be?" He asked.

"Uh, no. Well, sort of. But it's not, I mean, I don't have to be there at a certain time or anything." I faltered.

Just then my phone started ringing. I noticed it was Tyler and I figured it was something important, since I said I would be calling him when I left.

"I have to take this, sorry." Matt nodded a few times and got up, making his way to the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Caroline, something happened you need to come right now." Tyler was frantic, my heart started racing and my mind with it. He could barely get the words out.

"Tyler, what is it?" I asked worried.

"Mason." My heart sank into my stomach, I started feeling light-headed and for a moment thought maybe I would pass out.

"What?" My voice was shaky.

"They found his body, Caroline. Mason's dead." He broke down crying.

"Oh my god…" I couldn't breathe.

"Your mom just called. She wants me or my mom to go identify him." He stammered as he tried to keep himself from crying.

"I'll be right there." I said, before hanging up.

Matt came into the living room. I was sitting there without moving, my hands clutching on to my phone. The moment I had been dreading was here.

"Is there something wrong?" Matt asked. I nodded.

"I have to go." I abruptly stood up and ran out the door.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I walked into the Lockwood mansion feeling ashamed and unworthy of even setting foot in it. I saw Tyler sitting on the couch, covering his face with his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. His mom was on the phone with who I assumed were relatives. Tyler looked up as I slowly approached him. His disconsolate expression was heartbreaking; my eyes began to water. He stood up and launched himself at me; I hugged him so tightly, wishing I could take all his pain away.

"Shhhh…" I whispered into his ear. "I'm right here, you're going to be ok." I wished I could've believed my own words.

"He didn't deserve this." He lamented. Tears rolled down my cheeks, the guilt was consuming me.

He took a few deep breaths and wiped off his tears before wiping off mine.

"You don't have to come to the morgue if you don't want to." His mother said faintly as she hung up the phone.

"I want to come." He replied, more composed. He turned to me, "I know you just got here, sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I'll be at my house, don't hesitate to come over." I offered. He nodded, trying his best to smile.

**~%~%~%~%~**

Mason's death was ruled an accident. The council tried their best to eliminate any suspicions. My mother was forced to state that he had accidentally skidded off the road and plummeted to his death, landing in one of the lakes a few miles off the outskirts of Mystic Falls. Tyler knew this wasn't the case; he was convinced someone had murdered him and he was determined to find out whom that someone was. Four days after identifying the body, a funeral was held. Everyone close to Tyler was there, including Matt. I felt like the most worthless person in the world, I didn't deserve to have Tyler cry on my shoulder. He was going to hate me when he found out the truth and I expected no less.

After the funeral I went over to his home. We sat on his bed in silence. I couldn't live with this anymore, the remorse was too much for me to handle. I looked at Tyler, studying his face, memorizing every feature. I knew this was probably the last time I would ever get to be this close to him. I touched his face, enjoying the last moments I'd ever get to touch his skin. A tear rolled down my cheek, I loved him so much and he deserved to know the truth. I couldn't keep lying to him, even if that meant losing him.

"There's something I need to tell you." I began. I took a deep breath as he lifted up his head.

"What is it?" He noticed I was crying.

"I…" My breaths became shorter. "I know who did it."

His eyes widened at my words and his expression grew stern. He got off the bed and stood up.

"What do you mean?" He demanded. I closed my eyes.

_Be strong, Caroline. Be strong._

"I knew Mason was dead, and I know who did it." I looked down. When I shifted my eyes to him I could see his jaw clenching and his eyes begin to water.

He walked towards me and grabbed my arms, pulling me off the bed. I'd never seen him so angry.

"You knew Mason was dead all along?" He screamed, a loud growl escaping his chest. "You fucking lied to me." Disappointment spread across his face. I stood there motionless.

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say. I began to cry.

He was like a caged beast, pacing back and forth, wanting to take his anger out on me. He held me by the arms again.

"You lied to me! You lied!" His words were filled with resentment; he pushed me away.

He turned around and began throwing things across the room. I ducked trying to avoid the flying objects, but got whipped in the arm with a cord. I placed my hand over it; the red mark sank into my skin, before disappearing almost immediately. He looked at it, and for a moment I thought he was going to comfort me. But his expression quickly turned to rage.

"Who did it?" He demanded as he approached me, my eyes widened. I was frightened, unable to speak. "Who did it?" he screamed.

"Damon." I muttered.

"Damon." He repeated. His nostrils flared and his jaw tightened, the vein in his forehead was protruding. He turned to the wall and leaned his head against it, placing both hands on the back of his head.

"Leave." He said.

"Tyler…" I said muffled.

"I said, leave!" He said, raising his voice. "I don't want you to call me, I don't want you to approach me for any reason, and don't ever come around here again." His words were harsh. "You betrayed all the trust I had in you. I'm going to pretend I buried you along with him today." He said. I burst into tears as I ran out of his house.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I drove away as fast as I could until I felt I was far enough from him to stop. I pulled over to the side of the road and began sobbing. His words resonated so deep within my heart; it was as if someone was twisting a knife inside me. The pain I was experiencing was excruciating. I looked up at the sky and noticed the moon was on its final phase before being completely full. I needed a shoulder to cry on, and I knew the only one who I could speak to about this was Elena. I drove to her house, hoping to find her there.

As soon as she opened the door, she hugged me. My expression was enough for her to know something was not right. We walked up to her room and I explained everything that had happened.

"Caroline, I'm so sorry." She held on to me as I cried. "You need to call your mom and tell her you're staying with me for a few days." She said. I looked at her confused.

"Elena, you don't have to do that. I'll be fine at home." I said.

"No. You won't. You told Tyler _everything_, Damon is not going to be happy about this." She warned.

"I wasn't even thinking about what Damon would do. But if he kills me, at least I won't be suffering anymore." I replied.

"Caroline. Don't say that!" She reprimanded me. "Tyler will most likely try to confront him, I don't even want to know what he'll try to do. We need to tell Stefan about this." She explained.

"I don't want Tyler to get hurt, if anything happens to him…" I didn't finish.

"That's why we need to tell Stefan. Plus, if Tyler does do something, Damon will come looking for you. And I'm not going to let him hurt you."

"There's a full moon in four days." I said quietly. She just hugged me tighter.

"You're going to be fine, I'll do everything I can to make sure nothing happens to you." She tried to comfort me.

I didn't care about myself. I was worried about Tyler. I didn't want him to get in a confrontation with Damon and end up like Mason. If he died, I didn't have a reason to keep living.

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**A/N: Hope you guys aren't too disappointed on the turn this story has taken! If it makes you feel any better... I do believe in happy endings ;) **

**Please Review! :D**


	9. Chapter 9: Confrontation

**A/N: As promised, here's another chapter! :) Enjoy! **

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**Chapter 9 ~ Confrontation**

***Tyler's POV***

I closed my eyes and all I could see was her face. There was a battle inside me, part of me wanted to run to her and forgive her and the other part of me wanted to forget all about her. She had lied to me. She knew how worried I was about Mason and she even went so far as to suggest that perhaps he had stopped somewhere to surf on his way to Florida. One minute everything was perfect between us, the next everything was shot to hell. I felt angry, disappointed, and betrayed. And yet, I still had the urge to see her. I missed her smile and the smell of her hair, the sound of her laugh and the soft delicate feel of her skin. I had let my rage overcome me and ended up physically hurting her in the process. It took everything in me to stop myself from going over to her and offering comfort. The terrified expression on her beautiful face and the tears inundating her eyes were becoming a weakness. I had to make her leave.

Like a coward, I had run away, seeking refuge in one of our private properties outside of Mystic Falls. I knew no one would find me here. I called my mom and told her I needed time alone and asked her not to tell anyone of my whereabouts. A week had passed and it still felt as if it had just happened. I had to go back to our old property on the night of the full moon. I didn't know of any other place where I could keep myself restrained. Being there only made me feel more alone. I didn't know what was worse, the pain being caused by the transformation or the one I was feeling, knowing Caroline wasn't there with me this time. Either way, I made it through the night without getting out or hurting anyone. I thought of not chaining myself up and going in search of Damon that way, but my plan for him was different. Besides, I couldn't risk accidentally hurting Caroline. I couldn't live with myself if something terrible happened to her because of me.

The sun was now setting and I knew I had to return to Mystic Falls to start school again on Monday, graduation was getting closer and I couldn't afford to miss any more classes. I didn't want to disappoint my mom by not being able to graduate, but there was something I had to do first. I couldn't let Mason's death go unpunished. Damon deserved to have a stake driven through his heart for what he had done. I gathered all my belongings and made my way back to that hellhole of a town.

**~%~%~%~%~**

As I planned the best approach on the drive home, my thoughts kept slipping back to her. I wished I could just erase her from my memory and pretend nothing ever happened between us. I wondered how long it would take for the hole I felt in my chest to disappear. As I approached the intersection that led to my house, I decided to take a detour. It was almost as if I was in autopilot. I drove until I reached the Forbes residence. There was light coming from the second floor. I knew it was Caroline's room. I parked a few feet away from the house and turned off the car, sitting there in the darkness, like a stalker. My eyes were fixed on the window; with any luck I'd get a glimpse of her. After 30 minutes of waiting, I was about ready to give up, when I saw a silhouette walk from one side of the window to the other. It had to be her.

_Come on Caroline. Open the curtains._

It was almost as if she had heard my thoughts. The curtains swung open as she opened the window. She leaned on the windowsill looking up at the sky, holding a book in her hand. The breeze blew her golden locks into her face, and she had to keep tucking it in behind her ear. She looked as stunning as always, but her expression was glum. I just sat there, contemplating her, watching her every move. She could've been there all night and I wouldn't have left. After several minutes, she closed the book, looked up at the sky again and exhaled. She closed the window, retreated back to her room, and turned off the lights. I turned my car back on and instead of driving home, made my way to the Salvatore's home.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I drove my car into the woods and made my way to their house on foot, armed only with shots of vervain and a few stakes, tucked inside my jacket. There were a few lights on; I figured they had to be home.

_Here goes._

I cracked open one of the back windows and slipped in quietly, making sure I didn't knock down anything in my path. I could hear faint music playing somewhere in the house, but couldn't quite make out where it was coming from. As I got closer to the living room, I noticed it was coming from upstairs. I walked up, my back against the wall, checking back and forth, making sure I hadn't been spotted. When I reached the top of the stairs I slowly followed the sound of music until it got louder.

"I smelled you as soon as you stepped foot in this house." Damon was standing right behind me, his arm around my neck in a chokehold.

I tried to break free from his grasp but he was a lot stronger than me. It was rapidly becoming difficult to breathe.

"I gotta hand it to you. Walking right into the lion's mouth requires balls." He whispered into my ears.

I searched the inside pockets of my jacket for whatever I could find first. I felt the cold metallic feel of a syringe and quickly took it out of my pocket.

"I would've actually let you live, but since you came here looking for me, the least I can do is defend myself." He warned.

I stabbed his arm with the syringe and he instantly loosened his hold. I could see that only a small amount of liquid had actually made it into his body. He reached with his other arm and pulled it out, throwing it out of reach. He looked a bit weak and disoriented but his expression was menacing. I thought he would come right towards me and instead he made his way downstairs at lightning speed. I followed as fast I could.

"Running away like a little girl, I would've never expected it from you." I said, approaching him. He smirked as he launched himself at me with full force.

I didn't even have time to react and arm myself with what I had brought along. I punched him wherever I could but it didn't seem to be doing much damage. He hit me a couple times; his fists were as hard as stone. I grabbed a hold of a stake but no matter how hard I tried, I ended up stabbing him in the leg. He easily pulled it out and shook his head.

"Just give up already, there's not way you're leaving here tonight."

He grabbed a hold of my shirt and threw me across the room. I landed against a bookshelf, knocking it over with the impact. When I looked up he was gone again, I searched the room but he was nowhere in sight. I pulled another vervain syringe out of my pocket.

"Boo!" He said, standing behind me again.

He grabbed me once again and threw me across the room, I felt like a rag doll. He made his way towards me and this time I reacted quickly, stabbing him with the vervain shot near the neck, his eyes widened and then quickly closed. He collapsed on the floor, unconscious. This was it, I had to do it now, or not do it at all. I reached into my jacket and pulled out the last stake I had. I positioned myself over him and held it up with both hands. I closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths. I was about to bring the stake down into his chest when I felt a sharp pain in my back. My vision became blurry and my body felt heavy. I was burning up on the inside; it was like fire was running through my veins. I fell to the ground, convulsing in pain. I looked up and saw Stefan standing right beside me.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let you kill my brother." His voice was muffled, there was ringing in my ears and then everything went black.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I regained consciousness. I was strapped down to a chair in what appeared to be an underground room of some sort. I jerked around trying to free myself but it was useless. The door creaked open and Stefan walked in, Damon by his side. He still looked weak but if looks could kill, I'd be dead on the spot.

"How are you feeling?" Stefan asked.

"Why does it matter? You're going to kill me anyway." I looked away.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Tyler." He paused. I looked up at him and squinted. "Vampires and werewolves don't have to be enemies. There are exceptions to the rule." He said.

"Apparently Mason wasn't one of the exceptions." I replied, trying to set myself free once again.

"Your uncle was a threat to many people. If he had kept going down that path he was on, a lot of the people you know would probably be dead." He was calm. Damon remained silent, standing behind him.

"He didn't deserve to die." I argued.

"Mason was involved with Katherine. She had him convinced that what he was doing was the right thing. They were willing to sacrifice Elena's life in order to get what they wanted." He explained.

"What did they want?" I asked.

"To break the curse." Damon finally spoke.

"The werewolf and vampire curse." Stefan jumped in. "If the curse is broken, vampires can roam free in the sunlight and…" he paused. "Werewolves don't have to change every full moon." He looked at me. "But it only works in favor of one of the two, whoever breaks it first."

I was surprised by this revelation. The fact that I didn't have to go through that transformation every full moon gave me hope, but to do it at the expense of possibly affecting Caroline was another story.

"But in order to break the curse, Elena has to be sacrificed. We couldn't let that happen, Tyler. There was no way to reason with Mason. Elena's life and the lives of her family and friends were a risk. Damon had no other choice."

"So you're telling me saving the lives of others justifies Damon's actions." I said quietly.

"Yes, I know it's hard to understand but those _others_ are innocent people who know nothing of our existence. People that you see every day. They shouldn't have to pay for the mistakes of others. Your uncle was lured into the dark side and there was no way to talk him out of it." He leaned against the wall. Damon looked at me once again and left the room.

I sat there in silence, not knowing what to think. I understood that saving the lives of others was important but I still believed that killing Mason wasn't the right thing to do. I looked at Stefan; I knew how much he loved Elena. If I had been in his place and I had to protect Caroline, what would _I_ have done? There were so many thoughts running through my head.

"Caroline was afraid." He said. "She didn't want you to get hurt, so she kept things from you. She put herself at risk trying to help you." He looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"She also kept very important things from me." I replied.

"She was between a rock and a hard place, what else did you expect her to do? I'm not proud of what I've done. I've lied to Elena to keep her safe, many times. And I would do it all over again, if that meant saving her life. She was doing the same thing with you." He walked behind me and began untying my hands.

"Now what?" I asked.

"Now it's up to you to decide. You know the truth. Do whatever you think is best for you." He walked towards the door and left.

I looked around the room and thought about everything he had said. I still didn't know what to do, but I was glad I hadn't driven that stake through Damon's heart. It would have done more harm than good.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I lay in bed, my mind cluttered with millions of thoughts. I closed my eyes and pictured her standing there, wearing that red dress. Her beauty was overwhelming and her eyes mesmerizing. The image was so vivid I could almost smell her perfume. I opened my eyes again and tossed and turned in my bed. I quickly slipped away from reality.

I was alone in the woods, the sky was cloudy and the roar of thunder was getting closer and louder. I heard a giggle and then my name being called.

"_Tyler, where are you?" Her voice was sweet and tender._

"_Caroline?" I called out._

"_Where are you?" She asked. _

_I searched everywhere, I could smell her scent in the air but I couldn't seem to track her down. I felt a drop of water hit the tip of my nose. I looked up at the sky and rain began pouring down on me. I ran, still searching for her. My shoes were getting muddy and my clothes were soaked. I came to a halt when I saw her standing in a clearing between large Redwood trees. Her back was turned and water was dripping off of her. _

"_Caroline…" I said._

_She turned around and smiled. She was drenched; the water had made her white dress almost see-through. It was stuck to her body, accentuating her figure. _

"_Tyler!" She ran towards me, jumping on me, wrapping her legs around my waist. _

"_I was looking for you." I whispered._

"_You came back for me. I've missed you so much." She replied, rubbing her nose against mine._

_I stabilized myself against a tree and didn't waste any time; I wanted to taste her. I held her face firmly and gently sucked on her lower lip before moving on to the top one. She smiled against my mouth. Then gently bit my lower lip before slipping her tongue inside. She tasted better than I remembered. I brushed her wet hair with my fingers and tilted her head to have full access to her neck. Her dress strap slipped off one of her shoulders and I pressed my lips against it. Her skin was soft and gave off a sweet smell. _

"_Don't leave me, Tyler." She pleaded._

_I looked at her. Her eyes were full of sadness. _

"_I'm not leaving you." _

"_No. You are…" She looked up at the sky. _

_The clouds began to part, letting rays of sun escape from behind them. The brightness increased, until I couldn't see anything around me. _

"_Caroline?" _

"Caroline?" I said out loud, as I opened my eyes to the brightness of my room.

I'd left the window open and the sun was shining right in my face. I exhaled in disappointment, knowing I had been dreaming all along. I wondered if it had been a product of her subconscious or mine. Either way, it was the closest I had been to her since the last time I saw her. I closed my eyes and replayed it all over again in my head.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review. New chapter, tomorrow :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Saved

**A/N: This one's a bit short but I hope you guys like it.**

**Thank you so much for putting a smile on my face with all your wonderful reviews! :)**

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**Chapter 10 ~ Saved**

I needed to hunt. I'd been moping around the house for the past week, not even making an effort to not think about Tyler. The night of the full moon had been the worst. All I could do was think of how he was doing and if he had gotten a chance to find a safe place to undergo the change. Last night's dream had been a breath of fresh air, it made me happy thinking that maybe, just maybe, I had shared it with Tyler. Too bad it didn't last long, I really missed him and if dreaming was the only way I'd be able to see him and be close to him, then so be it. I heard the buzzing of my cell phone and spotted it resting on top of my nightstand. Elena was calling me again, for the fifth time today. At first I thought she might have wanted to hang out and I honestly wasn't in the mood. I took the phone in my hand and hesitated to pick up. I finally gave in to curiosity and answered.

"Hi, sorry for not picking up earlier." I said.

"Car…"

"Let me just say that if you're calling to try to get me out of the house, I'm not in the mood. I don't feel like going anywhere today." I interrupted her.

"Caroline, Tyler's back in town." She said.

My heart flipped in my chest when I heard the news. I smiled, knowing he was only a few miles away. I thought he was gone for good and I wasn't going to see him again.

"When did he come back?" I asked. I heard her take a few breaths and I immediately began to feel uneasy. "Elena, what are you not telling me?"

"Caroline. He went looking for Damon last night. He tried to kill him but Stefan got there in time to stop him." She sounded a bit alarmed.

"But, everything's ok now. Right? Tyler's not hurt?" I was worried.

"From what Stefan told me, he's fine." I breathed a sigh of relief as she continued. "He knows about the curse, Stefan tried to reason with him and explained why Mason's death was necessary." She mumbled the last word.

"How did he react?"

"He didn't know what to do. Stefan told him it was up to him to decide." She paused. "I figured you'd want to know."

"Yeah. I appreciate it." I replied.

"I'm sorry, for everything that's happened. I really hope you pull through, I miss the old Caroline."

"Yeah, I do too. But don't worry about me; I'll be fine. Thank you so much for calling. I'll see you at school Monday." I said, before hanging up.

Tyler was back in town. I knew I had to see him; the urge was killing me. I had already planned to go hunting. I could always make a few changed to my course and see if I could get a quick look at him.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I rummaged through the woods, not being picky about my food. I usually tried to avoid squirrels, the taste just isn't the best out there but tonight I didn't care. I caught a few on my way to the Lockwood mansion and by the time I got there, I got lucky enough to run into a couple rabbits. After I was done, I felt satisfied and maybe even a little happy. I made my way through a clear path, following the dim light coming from the house. I moved around slowly in the darkness. As I approached the side of the driveway, I caught sight of Tyler's car. A smile split across my face. I jumped when I saw him walk out through the front door. He was holding a glass in his hand, wearing jeans and a dark gray shirt. He looked as handsome as ever, the lighting made his features even more striking. I leaned up against a tree and just stared, wishing I could just run up to him and have him hold me in his arms. I inadvertently stepped on a pile of sticks and they broke, making a snapping sound. I saw Tyler look up, searching for the source of the sound.

_Shit. He must have heard_.

I ducked down, hiding behind a bush. He walked in my direction and then came to halt. He stood there, pensive. Then he turned around and walked back inside the house. I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing I had been close to getting caught.

"Why lurking in the darkness, Barbie?" I swallowed nervously, recognizing that voice immediately.

I turned around to see Damon's eyes locked on mine. He pushed me against a tree and placed his arm on my neck. The pressure made it difficult for me to breathe.

"You have caused me so much trouble. Did you know that your little wolf tried to kill me last night?" I turned my head, facing away from him.

"I'm sorry." I said, the words barely escaping my throat.

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't even begin to cover it, Goldie Locks." He threw me against another tree, my head slamming against it. He walked towards me.

"Damon, please." I begged.

"I told you, that if he ever came after me, you would be the first one to stop breathing." He reminded me.

"He didn't do anything to you. What good does it do if you kill me?" I replied.

"None. It'll just make me feel better. I doubt he cares enough about you to try to avenge your death as well." He clenched his jaw.

"You don't know that." Deep down, I wished Tyler still had some feelings for me and cared enough to at least mourn my death.

"He left this behind last night." He took a stake out of his pocket. "Bet he never imagined it would be used to kill you." A devious smile appeared on his face.

He grabbed a hold of my shoulders and picked me up, placing a hand around my throat and pushing me against the tree.

"This is it, Caroline." He raised the steak up and I closed my eyes.

"Don't!" I heard Tyler's voice and my eyes snapped open.

Damon smirked and rolled his eyes, before turning around.

"This isn't your business. Leave us alone." He warned.

His hand came down, the stake was about to puncture right through me, when Tyler threw himself at him. He pushed him off me, knocking the stake out of his hand. He stood in front of me, shielding me from him.

"God damn it! What part of 'leave us alone', didn't you understand?" Damon complained as he picked himself up. "You know, it's all blondie's fault, if she hadn't opened her big mouth we'd all still be _friends_."

"I'm not going to let you hurt her." Tyler said sternly. Damon laughed sarcastically.

"Really? After what she did, you still want to defend her?" He asked.

"This has nothing to do with it. You're trying to punish her for something _I_ did."

"Well then, _Tyler_, why don't you give me a good enough reason not to kill her? And save the melodrama, please, I don't want to hear you say that you _love_ her." He scoffed.

"I'm not like Mason, Damon. I don't know what you think I'll do but I won't be a threat to Elena. I know Stefan loves her but it's not difficult to figure out you have feelings for her as well." He replied. Damon looked stunned. "I'll leave you and your brother be. I don't want any part of this." He paused. "Don't take your anger towards me on Caroline. It's not her fault I decided to pay you a visit last night."

Damon looked at me, hiding behind Tyler like a scared puppy. He leaned over to get a look at my face. He lifted up one finger.

"I will only give you one chance, just one, Caroline. Don't fuck it up. And you…" he said looking at Tyler. "Don't try to be a hero again, trust me when I tell you to mind your own business." He disappeared almost immediately.

Tyler and I both stood there. His back was still facing me, I didn't move. He started walking away slowly.

"Tyler." I muttered.

He stopped and lowered his head. There was silence, all I could hear was the sound of my heart pounding against my chest. I took one step towards him, followed by another. He finally turned around.

"Thank you." I said, almost in a whisper.

He nodded, not being able to keep his eyes on me for too long. I wanted to hug him, wrap myself in his scent, and breathe him in but I somehow knew he wouldn't let me. I reached for his hand and he tentatively moved it away. I didn't want to push it; I nodded acknowledging the fact that he didn't want me to touch him, and turned around.

"Caroline…" I stopped dead on my tracks. "I'm sorry but I can't just pretend everything is fine between us." He said.

"I don't expect you to." I replied. I left before he had a chance to say anything else.

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**A/N: New chapter tomorrow :) **


	11. Chapter 11: Fun and Games

**A/N: Hello again! Here's the second to last chapter for this week. I'm so ready for a new episode of TVD tomorrow! :D**

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**Chapter 11 ~ Fun and Games**

After everything that had happened, I actually felt like I needed to get out and spend time with friends. Unfortunately, Elena had gone away for the weekend with Stefan, and Bonnie was too busy with Jeremy. I found myself at home again, all by myself, watching reruns of Sex and the City and eating junk food. I was beginning to get tired of the swirling memories of Tyler that invaded my head from time to time. The only thing that comforted me was knowing that he didn't hate me for what I had done. I looked outside my window, another day was coming to a end and I had wasted it again by staying home. I was getting ready to change into my PJs when I heard someone at the door. Sure enough, after a few seconds, the doorbell rang. I ran downstairs and looked through the peephole, opening the door almost immediately.

"Hey!" I greeted Matt.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced… again." He smiled.

"It's not a problem. What's up?" He was about to speak when I interrupted him. "Oh, I'm sorry, do you… wanna come in?" I asked. He walked inside and I offered him a seat in the living room.

"I was on my way to the Grill, just to hang. No one seems to be in town this weekend, everyone's doing one thing or another, and I was wondering if you wanted to come." He explained.

"You know what? I have been thinking the same thing. I've been wanting to get out of here and go do something but Elena and Bonnie are both busy."

"Well, what are you waiting for then? Let's go!" He grinned.

I ran upstairs and changed my shirt, grabbed a light jacket and slipped on a pair of black boots over my jeans. I was about to run out the door when I realized I had to at least fix my hair up a bit. I hadn't been wearing any makeup the whole day and I wasn't going to end the day that way. I ended up taking longer than expected getting ready, but I knew Matt wouldn't mind. We hadn't hung out in a while; he couldn't complain. When I came downstairs, I found him looking at the pictures on the wall. He turned to me and smiled.

"About time." He joked. "Ready to get your drink on?"

I gave him a look, reminding him of what happened the last time he had a little too much alcohol in his system. He shook his head and looked down, I smirked.

"There's no way we'll get away with drinking." I said, even though I knew I could make it happen if I wanted to.

**~%~%~%~%~**

We arrived at the Grill; it was pretty dead, even for a Sunday night. There were a few people from school playing pool but no one worthy enough to go talk to. We sat down at a table and ordered some drinks. I 'convinced' the waitress to bring us a couple shots of tequila.

"I thought you said we would never get away with drinking?"

"Well I guess I was just blessed with the ability to persuade people." I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, I guess so. She would've never done it for me, and I'm quite the charming guy." He chuckled.

I smiled as I looked around the restaurant looking for something to do. I spotted a dartboard on the other side and motioned him with my head to follow me. Every time it was my turn to shoot, I would picture Damon's face, it helped with my aim. The waitress noticed we weren't at the table anymore and brought the shots over to where we were. We discreetly drank them and continued playing.

"How good are you at shooter games?" He asked, pointing to the hunting video game in the corner.

I smiled and shook my head.

_Guys._

"Good enough to beat you." I teased.

He inserted a couple quarters into the machine and we began to play. I had forgotten how much fun that game was. I had spent so much time hunting animals and killing them with my teeth that the idea of using of a gun was almost new to me. Even then, I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for them. I kept beating Matt and he kept inserting quarters into the machine, until he finally won. After the game was over, we made our way back to the table and sat down. The waitress came by once again and we ordered food and a couple more drinks.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about this," he began. "I noticed Tyler's been gone the whole week and you've been looking pretty glum lately."

"You're right. It's not something I'd like to discuss, but I feel comfortable with you and maybe talking about it will make me feel a little better." I said.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"Somewhere in town, I presume. He came back yesterday, actually." I looked away, noticing the waitress was returning with our drinks. As soon as she set them down, I began sipping on my mango daiquiri.

"Oh, you've seen him?"

"Yeah. Things aren't so great between us right now. I don't really wanna go into detail about what happened, exactly." I pursed my lips.

"It's fine, I understand." He paused. "You know, I've already gotten used to the fact that somehow, something sparked between you guys. But if he's hurting you…" his voice trailed off.

"Actually, Matt. I was the one that hurt him." I admitted.

We sat in silence, sipping from our drinks. We kept ordering, one after another until I noticed he was a little buzzed and I myself was feeling it as well. When we finally got our food we were starving. We shared a platter of appetizers and devoured every scrap of food on the plate.

"Let's shoot some pool." He suggested.

The place was a little more crowded now, I was a bit surprising to see so many people out so late with work and school being the following the day. I accidentally bumped into a blonde girl, about my height, wearing a short dress and revealing more cleavage than necessary. An expression of disgust spread all across her makeup-smothered face.

"I'm sorry." I apologized.

"You need to watch where you're going." She scoffed.

I rolled my eyes, realizing she was one of those snobby bitches who think they're better than everyone else. I shook my head and caught up to Matt, who was arranging the balls on the pool table.

"Having a little trouble with Tina, there?" He asked.

"Huh?"

"Tina. That girl you just ran into. Come one Care, are you that drunk that you don't remember seeing her around school?" He asked.

I turned around to look at her again and then I remembered I had seen her around a few times. She had tried out for cheerleading at the beginning of the year but there was no way I was going to let someone like her join the squad. She had also been up for the title of Miss Mystic Falls along with Elena and me.

"I guess she just has a forgettable face. I can see, why _guys_ would remember her though, what a slut." I replied.

He laughed and shook his head as he prepared to break. I was having a pretty good run when a very distinct smell filled my nostrils. I looked up and noticed Tyler walking in through the doors, I noticed him wrinkling his nose as his eyes searched the room.

_He must have detected my scent as well._

Everything around him was a blur, I just stood there, marveling at him. Our eyes finally met, he looked incredibly gorgeous. I wanted to run to him and do him on the spot.

_These damn vampire hormones kicking in again._

"Not sure of your next move?" Matt asked, shattering my little fantasy.

I looked at him and then back at Tyler, who was now taking a seat next to a few of his football friends at the bar. Matt turned around and saw him.

"I can see how that ruined your concentration." He said.

"Sorry. It was nothing, I'm still going to beat you." I pretended nothing had happened and continued playing.

It was no use; with Tyler in the same room there was no way for me to even come close to beating Matt. I kept missing easy shots and making stupid mistakes. It took so much not to block out everyone around me and just focus on what Tyler was saying. I ended up ordering a couple more shots, hoping that would help.

"Tyler!" I heard someone say, in a high pitch annoying voice. I slowly turned my head and noticed that girl Tina practically running to him.

"I'll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom." Matt said.

I nodded and went back to our table. I sat there pretending to look through the drink menu. I focused my hearing on Tyler's table, shifting my gaze over to it often. That bitch couldn't have been more obvious; she was pretty much throwing herself at him and at one point even tried sitting on his lap. He would shuffle around on his seat and change his angle but she wasn't budging. Tyler kept talking to his friend about the graduation party that was going down at his place in a few weeks but Tina kept interrupting.

"You smell really good." She said, leaning into him and whispering in his ear. I tried really hard to make out what she said, 'You look down, I bet I can cheer you up'.

My eyes widened, and the thought of them together made my stomach turn. I wanted to go over there and rip her head off. I took a few deep breaths and tightened my jaw before standing up. I suddenly realized I was letting myself become overwhelmed by jealousy and sat back down. Watching her lean in and basically rub her boobs in his face wasn't helping. I huffed, bursting with anger at her blatant display of indecency.

"Tina, honestly, I don't want to be rude." Tyler said as he shifted his eyes towards me.

I immediately covered my face with the menu but couldn't help smile knowing he was turning down her offer. Matt returned from the restroom and sat next to me. Taking the menu from my hands.

"You can't fool me, it's bothering you." He said, looking over at Tyler and the rest of the people at his table.

"I have to admit, I was this close to going over there and punching that girl in the face." I said showing him with my fingers.

He chuckled and turned to look at them again. Tina wasn't giving up, she kept insisting until she finally sat on Tyler's lap. Her joy only lasted a few seconds. He pointed to the restroom and she stood up, he walked by our table and quickly glanced at me. I noticed her walking in the same direction, adjusting her boobs. I looked at Matt and smiled, grabbing my drink off the table.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"She looks thirty." I replied.

I made my way through the crowd until I crossed her path, bumping into her harder than before. The drink splashed all over her face and down her chest. The scream she let out was as fake as her, I covered my mouth trying not to laugh at the absurdity of her reaction.

"You stupid bitch! Look what you did!" She yelled.

"I'm so sorry, I'm such a klutz." I said sarcastically, as I walked back to the table.

Matt's mouth was wide open and he started laughing as soon as I sat down. I watched her friends come to her rescue and try to pat down the drink off her face. It was no use, her mascara had already smudged and she stomped the floor like a five year old before walking out of the restaurant.

"Wow, Care. You are something else."

"Trust me, there are worst things I could've done."

We laughed until we saw Tyler walk out of the restroom. He went over to his table and his friend told him what had happened with Tina, pointing at me in the process. I looked away acting unaware of their conversation. The waitress brought our check and even though Matt insisted on paying for the whole thing I convinced him to split it. We made our way to the exit and I noticed Tyler wasn't at his table anymore.

"I'm really glad you came with me, I had fun." Matt said.

"I did too. I don't know what I would've done if I had lost your friendship." I smiled.

"That's the one thing you'll never lose." He replied, placing his arm around me.

We bumped into Tyler on the way out. There was an awkward pause as we looked at each other; his eyes then focusing on Matt's hand on my shoulder. He moved to the left to go around us and at the same time so did we. Then we moved right, all at the same time, it must have looked like a dance to anyone who was watching. Matt and I finally stopped and let him go by, he walked right by me, his hand lightly coming into contact with mine. His warm skin sent a shudder through my body that interrupted the rhythm of my heart. If he only knew how much of an effect he still had on me.

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**A/N: I had to bring Matt back into the picture! He's such a sweetheart. Nothing romantic going on w/ Caroline though, just friendship :)**

**It was brought to my attention that Caroline doesn't have a heartbeat because she's a vampire and technically she's dead... but I base it on the fact that in 'By the Light of the Moon', Katherine tells Stefan that even when she desiccates her heart still beats and her veins rub together like sandpaper (or something along those lines, I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about). That is why, in my story, Caroline still has a heartbeat :)**

**Chapter 12 will be posted tomorrow afternoon.**


	12. Chapter 12: Girlfriends

**A/N: I'm baaacckkk! I just love Thursdays, don't you guys? Can't wait to see what's gonna go down tonight. **

**This is the last chapter for this week. I won't be updating again until next Wednesday! :-\ **

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**Chapter 12 ~ Girlfriends**

_"Mmmmmm…" I moaned, enjoying the feel of his wet tongue running up and down my inner thighs._

"_Why don't you just give in to it, Tyler? Why can't you admit you miss me as much as I miss you?" I asked, clutching on to my sheets._

_He lifted up his head, the gaze of his dark brown eyes were enough to make me melt. He didn't say a word, as usual. I sank my head back into my pillow and felt his tongue come in contact with my flesh. _

"_Oooooh" I whimpered, letting myself become overwhelmed in the tingling sensation taking over my body. _

_His tongue was hot and wet, and felt amazing on my cool bare skin. He parted my lips with his fingers and ran it up one side and down the other. I lifted my hips up slightly, asking for more. He gently sucked on my clit, I couldn't do anything else but moan. I felt his warm long fingers as he gently entered me. He slipped them in and out of me, sending my body into unrestrained spasms. _

"_Mmmmm…" he said, tasting my wetness. He lifted his head up again. "I never knew you tasted so good." He said._

_I was surprised to hear him speak. I smiled; I wanted him more than ever. I spread my legs a little wider._

"_I want you inside me." I said._

_He sat on his knees, stroking his cock with one hand as he admired my body. _

"Please" I heard myself say.

Words can't express how pissed and disappointed I was when I opened my eyes, my vision slowly focusing on the ceiling. I couldn't believe this was happening again. My hormones were definitely getting out of hand. I couldn't blame my body for wanting him though, after seeing him the past couple of nights; having him so close and not being able to do anything about it. I looked around my room, and smirked. There was no reason why I couldn't continue with the dream.

_Right?_

I closed my eyes and let thoughts of him fill my mind. I thought of where we had left off and let him have his way with me.

**~%~%~%~%~**

The school bell rang and I made my way to first period. I spotted a poster on the wall announcing the nominees for prom king and queen. My name was on that list, along with Elena's and that bitch, Tina's. Tyler, Matt and Stefan were nominated as well.

_Well, that's just great._

"Excited?" I turned to see Elena's smiling face.

"Not really." I answered.

"Wow, I would've thought you'd be all over that." She looked surprised.

"My priorities have dramatically changed over the past few months, you know…" I replied. She nodded.

"Let's have a girl's night at my place tonight! It'll just be me, you and Bonnie." She grinned.

"That sounds like a great idea! I'm in desperate need of some girl time!" I said, excited.

We walked together to class, coming up with ideas of what we could do throughout the evening. When I walked into the classroom, I caught sight of Tyler sitting in his desk. I felt the blood rushing to my face; even after everything we had gone through, I couldn't help feeling embarrassed. He looked at me and slightly raised his eyebrows. Something told me, he knew about the dream and it had been as real to him as it had been to me.

The English lecture couldn't have been more boring. I kept glancing over at Tyler until finally I decided to write a little note. I knew he wasn't ready to forgive me and have things go back to the way they were, but there was no reason for me not to flirt a little. I figured it couldn't hurt. I took a small piece of paper and simply wrote 'Thank You ;)'. I passed it to the person next to me and he handed it to Tyler. I watched him open the paper and I could've sworn I saw a smile on his face. I waited for him to turn around and look at me, but he never did. I watched him crumble the piece of paper and throw it in the trash at the end of class. He looked at me and gave me a smirk before leaving the room.

**~%~%~%~%~**

The final bell rang, I couldn't wait to get out of there and enjoy some girl time with Elena and Bonnie. I ran into Matt on the way to my car, stopping for a brief chat.

"You in a hurry?" He asked.

"Not precisely, just kinda wanna get out of here. School was such a drag today."

"I'm not going to keep you long, just wanted to ask if you'd like to go to prom with me." He said with a grin on his face.

I smiled and looked around, contemplating his offer. We were both nominated for prom king and queen and I didn't have anybody else to go with, Bonnie would most likely go with Jeremy and Elena was for sure going with Stefan.

"Nothing romantic, just as friends." He clarified. I laughed.

"Ok."

"Awesome! It'll be fun! Besides, you won't be seeing too much of me, soon."

"What? What do you mean?" I asked.

"Remember I told you I was thinking of applying to Medical School? Well, I ended up doing it right after I told you about it and they accepted me! I'm gonna be going there next fall." He said.

I looked at him shocked. Matt was going away, I was going to end up losing him after all. It's not that I was having a change of heart or anything. I was just surprised that he was actually going away. As a friend, I deeply cared for him, and loved him. The thought of him not being around anymore made me a little sad.

"Congrats, Matt! I'm happy for you." I hugged him tightly.

"Thanks." He said as we pulled away.

"Ok, I gotta get going. I'll see you around!" I waved as I walked to my car.

**~%~%~%~%~**

Bonnie and I arrived at Elena's house almost at the same time. We brought along movies, a manicure set and a few games. Elena had prepared dinner and I brought along a bottle of wine for the occasion.

"So what movie do you guys want to watch first?" Bonnie asked.

"No romantic comedies, please." I said.

They both looked at me and then at each other. Before taking a few more bites of their food. The wine was absolutely delicious, sweet and fruity and chilled to perfection, just the way I liked it. I drank a whole glass in a matter of seconds.

"Ok, Caroline. Enough with the love problems; talk to us." Elena said, making a begging gesture.

"There's really not much to say. I kept stuff from Tyler, he found out and everything fell to pieces." I explained.

"We know what happened. We just want to know how you're dealing." Bonnie said.

"The best I can." I replied. "It's not easy. One moment I was happy, the next I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart."

Elena and Bonnie looked at each other again, ate some more and took a sip of their wine.

"He's going to forgive you." Bonnie said.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know for sure. But I could find out if you want me to…"

I saw Elena give her a look and shake her head. She was right, no matter how much I wanted to know what the future held for Tyler and me, knowing ahead of time would just ruin things.

"Elena's right. It's probably better if I just let things run their natural course." I said, finishing up my food.

After dinner, we all sat in the living room and watched 'Grease'.

_So much for no romantic movies._

When the movie was over we made our way up to Elena's room and sat on her bed. Bonnie pulled out the manicure set out of my backpack.

"How about a game of truth or dare?" She asked.

"Like, the game we used to play when we were 12?" I said, making a face.

"Come on, Caroline. It'll be fun." Elena agreed.

"I'm really surprised you guys want to play that right now. Wow." I shook my head, knowing it didn't matter whether I agreed or not, we would be playing either way. "Fine, Elena, truth of dare?" I asked.

"Truth." She said with confidence.

"When's the last time you _played with yourself_?" I asked and Bonnie burst out laughing. "Hey you wanted to play!" I said as she gave me an evil stare. She was silent for a minute.

"I haven't. For your information, Stefan keeps me more than satisfied." Bonnie and I both opened our mouths in shock; we couldn't believe she had actually said that.

We all erupted in laughter and Elena tossed a pillow at my head.

"Truth of Dare?" She asked me.

"Dare." I said.

"Ok... give us your best fake orgasm!" My eyes almost bulged out of my skull.

"What?" I yelled. "Never mind! Truth! Truth!" I said, trying to change my pick.

Bonnie laughed hysterically and I pointed a finger at her.

"Shut up, you're next!" I said.

"Ok, I'll let it slide this once." Elena replied before continuing, "How many times have you had sex with Tyler?"

I looked at them and smiled.

"Like, for reals?" I asked. They looked at each other confused.

"What do you mean, for reals?" Bonnie asked.

"Never mind, it's happened twice." I answered.

"No, no, no… you're going to explain to us what you meant by 'for reals'" Elena said.

I gave in to their demands. I told them about the dreams I had been having with Tyler and blushed every time I had to go into detail. They couldn't believe I had kept that from them.

"It was private and embarrassing." I defended myself.

"Sounds like you've been having more fun than you'd like to admit." Elena teased.

"Ok, how about you guys tell me something embarrassing about your sex life?" I joked. Elena looked at Bonnie.

"No, Bonnie. I don't want to hear what you've been doing with my brother. I'd rather die." She said with an appalled look on her face.

We spent the rest of the night talking about how experienced we were when it came to being intimate with a guy. There was even a mention of penis size, which I refused to take part in. Tyler was well-endowed but there was no way I was going to tell Bonnie and Elena that much. We had so much fun picking on each other and watching each other blush. Before going to sleep we decided we'd all go shopping for prom dresses after school, the next day.

**~%~%~%~%~**

We went from shop to shop, trying on everything we found. It had been a while since we had all gone shopping together. After playing dress-up for a few hours, I finally slipped on an amazing bare back purple dress. It had a deep V-neck and the shades of purple got lighter as it got to the bottom. It had a beaded waistline and a slit that ran all the way down from the top of my right thigh. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw myself in the mirror. It emphasized my curves and I felt absolutely beautiful in it.

"Wow, that one is a winner!" Elena said, as soon as I stepped out of the dressing room.

"Yeah, that's definitely the one!" Bonnie agreed.

I grinned, twirling around and pretending to walk down a runway and posing like a model. We were having way too much fun and I was really happy to have found the perfect dress. My smiled soon faded when I saw Tina walk into the fitting rooms with two other girls. I made a disgusted face at Bonnie and Elena and they laughed quietly.

"Ok, this one's totally coming home with me." I said pointing to the dress.

I went back inside the fitting room to take it off, when I heard Tina talking to her friends.

"Tyler is going to die, when he sees me wearing this." She said in her most obnoxious voice.

I put my clothes back on and sat down, paying close attention to what they were saying.

"You look so hot!" One of her friends complemented her look. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"He's playing hard to get, but I have a feeling prom night will be my lucky night." Tina bragged. "There's a reason why he didn't turn me down when I asked him to go with me."

My mouth dropped open. Tyler was going to prom with that hoe and apparently she already had plans for their private little after party. I guess he was free to do whatever he wanted, but it sickened me to think he would give in to her persistence.

"Yeah, you lucky bitch. He's so fucking hot, I'm jealous." Her friend said.

_You're not the only one._

I couldn't keep listening to her talk. I picked up my things and made my way to the register. Elena and Bonnie were already holding their purchases in their hand. I paid for my dress and we made our way back home.

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**A/N: Once again, next update will be on Wednesday!**


	13. Chapter 13: Breathtaking

**A/N: I just got back from my mini-vacation, so I think it's time to update this baby! :) **

**BUT... first, how many of you were as disappointed as me about what happened last Thursday on TVD? I understand Tyler's confusion and anger but still, I gotta admit, that episode hit me hard. It was quite depressing. And by the looks of tomorrow's preview, things are going to get worse before they get better. **

**Ok, I'm going to stop before I start going off on tangents! Hope you guys enjoy the chapter, good stuff coming up, promise :) **

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**Chapter 13 ~ Breathtaking**

***Tyler's POV***

I was definitely regretting going to prom with that Tina girl. She'd been all over my business the past couple weeks, it was as if her mission in life was to make my life miserable. I felt like I didn't even have time to breathe nowadays.

"You look very handsome." My mom's smiling face greeted me as I walked down the stairs.

"Thanks." I said unenthusiastically.

"You know, I really wish you would've worked things out with Caroline, she would've made a much better prom date." She said, fixing my tie.

"Mom, we've already talked about this." I paused. "I have to admit, I do miss her."

"I'm willing to bet, she misses you too. Maybe you two just have your wires crossed, talking never hurt anyone." She smiled as she patted my shoulder.

"Perhaps you're right… I have to go now and pick up my _date._" I rolled my eyes as I muttered the last word.

"Have fun. I'll see you on Monday, I'm going away for the weekend with my book club friends."

"Yeah, I remember you mentioning that earlier this week." I replied before grabbing my keys. I smiled and gave her a hug goodbye.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I stood in front of the door for a few minutes before actually ringing the doorbell. I was dreading the display I'd be presented with as soon as the door swung open. After a few minutes of thinking and contemplating what kind of reaction I'd give at the sight of Tina and her most likely over the top attire, I finally pressed the button next to the door.

"Hi!" She said, placing her hands on her hips, showing off her red dress.

"Hey…" I replied, not impressed by her choice of wardrobe.

_Red certainly suits Caroline a lot better._

Her boobs looked like they would fall out of her dress with any sudden movement. She lacked as much fabric on top as she did on the bottom, honestly, she could've been wrapped in a small towel and I wouldn't have known the difference.

"You like?" She winked.

"You look… nice." I replied, uninterested.

"We better get going. I made dinner reservations for 5:30." She announced, disappearing for an instant before returning with a boutonniere. "I promise I won't poke you." She proceeded to pin it on my jacket. "You did buy me a corsage right?"

"Oh, yeah I left it in my car."

"Cool. Let me just grab my purse and we can go." She went back inside, this time taking a little longer than before. She returned with a big grin on her face.

As soon as we got in the car, I handed her the plastic box containing her corsage. She took it and looked at me, probably wanting me to put it on her. I really wasn't in the mood to play 'date', not with her anyway. I knew if it were Caroline in her place, I'd be making her feel like a princess. But I had been too stubborn to give her another chance; I knew I was being punished for it now. The drive to the restaurant was painful, I had to listen to her complain about how many dresses she had tried on before finding one she liked. She even reminded me that she had been approached by a handful of guys wanting to be her prom date, but I had been the lucky one she had chosen. I guess it was suppose to make me feel honored, but I couldn't care less.

Dinner was another story. All her friends were there with their dates. Luckily I knew some of the guys from football so it wasn't hard to strike up a conversation. The girls all looked eerily similar; caked-on makeup, fake nails, fake eyelashes, and they even spoke the same, needless to say it was kind of scary. I looked around the restaurant, looking for a familiar face, one face in particular but she wasn't there.

**~%~%~%~%~**

We arrived at the cruise ship where prom was being held. It was already nightfall and limo after limo kept pulling up to drop people off.

"Awwww we should've rented a limo!" Tina lamented. I didn't even bother to reply.

We made our way inside and she wrapped her arm around mine. We walked through the crowd until she reunited with all her friends again. They had gotten a table near the bar; unfortunately no alcoholic beverages were being served, for obvious reasons. The DJ was setting up while a band on stage played covers of songs; the dance floor kept getting more crowded by the minute.

"Let's dance!" Tina suggested, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the dance floor.

"I'm not really much of a dancer." I said, pulling back.

"Come on! It's prom, you have to dance."

I followed her there hesitantly, scanning the room for Caroline. I moved faintly as she danced close to me, rubbing up against me. She put her arms around my neck, trying to bring me in closer to her. I laughed at how ridiculous we must have looked to the people around us. She probably thought I was laughing because I was having fun; she let go of my neck and turned, putting her back against me. She began moving her hips around, trying to get me to grind up against her. I didn't know how long I could put up with it.

I scanned the room once again, when my eyes finally reached the entrance, it was as if time had stood still. There she was, her beautiful blonde hair was carefully pinned up, her bangs were swept to one side of her face and her signature waves were draped over her shoulders. And the dress, my mouth probably dropped open as soon as I saw what she was wearing. It was a mixture of elegance and sexiness that only she could pull off. She looked stunning. That plunging neckline and the slit running down her leg were driving me crazy. I noticed the shimmer coming off the necklace I had given her for her birthday. I couldn't help smiling, knowing she was wearing it because it still meant something to her. It wasn't until after I snapped out of the idiotic state I was in that I noticed Matt was by her side.

"You're not even dancing." The whiny voice made me lose focus.

"I need something to drink." I said, walking over to the bar.

I grabbed a cup of Coke and sipped it by the bar, eyeing Caroline as she took a seat next to Matt at a table. Elena, Stefan, Bonnie, and Jeremy were with them. Matt leaned in to her and told her something that made her laugh. I felt a rush of jealous come over me, she looked like she was having a good time with him and I had to admit it didn't suit me well. Elena kept pointing to the people dancing and Caroline turned to look at Matt. After a few minutes of more talking and laughing, they finally all stood up and walked to the dance floor.

Tina came over and asked me to join her and her friends again. We danced, but the whole time I was focused on Caroline. She hadn't even noticed I was there; maybe she didn't miss me as much as I missed her. For all I knew, she could have gotten back with Matt. The thought made me cringe. Then again, she was wearing the necklace I had given her. I couldn't think straight. It wasn't until the fourth or fifth song that Caroline finally caught sight of me. We looked at each other as she danced with Matt and I danced with Tina. She looked at her expressionless and then back at me, it wasn't until she looked back at Matt that she smiled.

"I'm done dancing." I screamed in Tina's ear, over the loud music.

"I'll dance with my friends. You and I are having our own party later!" She replied with a smile on her face.

"What?"

"I booked a room at a nearby hotel." She winked. I raised my eyebrows surprised by her bluntness.

I walked over to the bar again and grabbed another drink. I noticed Caroline was back at the table with Matt. She was yelling something into his ear. He nodded and then she stood up and walked away. She exited towards the ship deck, I didn't waste any time and followed. I slowed down as I got to the exit and saw her standing a good distance down the deck by the railing, her head turned, aware of my presence.

I felt like I was in one of our dreams again. Her beauty was breathtaking and the splendor of her blue eyes was overwhelming. I longed for nothing more than to be able to touch her skin once again. She looked so delicate and fragile, but I knew she was far from it. I kept walking towards her, until I had her at arms reach.

"Having fun?" She asked without looking at me.

"Not as much as you, I bet." I replied.

"Please, I bet she was able to squeeze in a few blow jobs before dinner." I detected annoyance in her voice, maybe even a bit of jealousy. I smiled at the thought.

"Is that what you did?" I knew right then, that was the stupidest thing I could have said.

It was too late to even try to apologize; her serene expression turned to anger, she was no longer the delicate fragile girl I had just been looking at a few seconds ago. She slapped me across the face and I knew it was well-deserved. Then she did something I wasn't expecting. A smile spread across her face.

"What's so funny?" I asked, pressing my hand against my cheek.

"What if I did?" She replied, serious again. "Do you want to know what it was like? Would you like me to tell you what it felt like in my mouth?" I felt my chest constricting and my pulse increasing as I heard her words. I grabbed her by the arms and pressed her against me.

"You're lying." I muttered.

A mixture of the smell of her perfume, her hair, and the scent of her skin took over me. She widened her eyes and her red lips parted slightly, as warm breath escaped her mouth.

"You're lying." I repeated, almost in a whisper.

She loosened herself from my grip and fixed her dress. I watched her closely as she ran her hands down the sides of her body. I was experiencing so many emotions I didn't know which one was stronger. I was overcome by anger and jealousy at the thought of her with Matt, and at the same time I wanted to take her away from this place and desperately make love to her.

"You have no right to tell me who I can and can't be with. You brought along a porn star look-alike as your date and expect me to believe nothing is going on with you two? I'm not stupid Tyler. You've never turned anyone down before, why would you do that now?" She was irritated.

I huffed and shook my head. She was jealous but wasn't going to admit it.

"Has anyone ever told you, you look extremely cute when you're jealous?" I asked.

Her mouth dropped open and she laughed, shaking her head.

"You think I'm jealous? You're kidding right? Why the hell would I be jealous of someone so fake and plastic-looking. Please." She replied.

I grabbed her by the waist and drew her into me, our chest pressed against each other and our lips were close enough to touch. She looked up at me.

"Same reason I'm jealous of you being with Matt." I said. She didn't speak but I felt her swallow.

"Tyler…" her voice was meek.

"I can't do this anymore, Caroline. I can't keep pretending much longer." I replied.

'Tyler Lockwood!' I heard my name being called inside. Caroline pulled away and we looked around but no one was there except us. I heard my name being called a second time.

"They're calling you. You better go." She said.

"I'm not leaving you out here." I replied.

She looked at me and nodded slightly before taking a step forward. We both made our way inside the ship again. All eyes were on us as we entered and we were greeted with shouts of 'congratulations'. Caroline and I both looked at each other.

"They just announced you guys as prom king and queen!" Elena exclaimed.

We looked at each other and laughed under our breath. We both had been so wrapped up in our conversation that we didn't even hear our names being called. It was surprising that even Caroline with her amazing vampire hearing hadn't caught any of it. We walked up on stage and people from the student council placed crowns on our heads. I felt extremely ridiculous but Caroline looked amazing. We got off the stage and everyone kept cheering us on, asking for us to dance at least one song together. I looked at her, a smile split across her face. I stretched my hand out and she placed hers on top of it. As we danced, I lost sight of the people around us; I only had eyes for her. When the song was over, Tina was standing right beside us. She grabbed a hold of my arm and pulled me away.

"Sorry, he's my date sweetie, go find your own now." She said.

Caroline looked at her with disdain and then walked away, she leaned into Matt and whispered something in his ear. He stood up, grabbed his jacket and they walked to the exit.

"You know, you really have to work on your etiquette." I said, turning to Tina.

"What do you mean?"

"You're rude." I replied. "Not only that, you also really know how to put yourself out there. Trust me that's not a compliment."

"You're an asshole! And let me just say, you just ruined your chances of getting it in tonight."

"I wasn't ever even planning on doing anything with you."

"Fuck you!" She yelled before storming off.

I figured she would get a ride back home with one of her friends. As soon as she walked away I made my way to the exit. Matt and Caroline were long gone, there was no sight of them anywhere. The sky was covered with dark clouds; I walked fast to my car, hoping I wouldn't get rained on.

**~%~%~%~%~**

I got home to a dark and empty house. I made my way upstairs and lay on my bed, turning over to my alarm clock to check the time. It was just before midnight and definitely too late to go looking for Caroline. Her mother was probably home which would only complicate things more. I took off my clothes and slipped under the covers, I'd be paying Caroline a visit in the morning and there was no way I was going to let anything interrupt us this time.

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**A/N: The good thing about writing fan fiction is that you have control of the story. I hope the TVD writers are kind enough to T/C fans and have them kiss & make up in the not-too-distant future! **

**Thanks for reading, please review! I'll be posting another chapter tomorrow!**


	14. Chapter 14: Love

**A/N: This is the second to last chapter! Can't believe it's almost over! **

**New TVD tonight, try not to hate on Tyler, I've been seeing a lot of that lately. **

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**Chapter 14 ~ Love**

The night had without a doubt taken an unexpected turn. I wasn't expecting to win prom queen but the fact that Tyler won as well only made it more surreal. I was still uncertain of where we were at this point. He did say out on the ship deck that he could no longer keep pretending, but I didn't quite understand exactly what he meant. I just hoped he was finally starting to forgive me for what I had done. The whole way home, I kept thinking about his words and how good it felt to have him so close to me again.

"Well, we're here." Matt announced.

He got out of the car at the same time as I did and walked me to the door.

"Thank you so much, for everything." I said, flashing him a smile.

"No, thank you for being my date." He paused. "You know, you and Tyler should really talk things through. I think there's still hope for you two."

"I thought Tyler wasn't your cup of tea." I looked at him bewildered.

"He's my friend, he always will be, and so will you. It's obvious, you guys make each other happy and I think you both deserve a second chance." He replied.

"You're a great guy, Matt. Thank you for everything." I hugged him and said goodnight.

I shut the door and leaned back against it and heard Matt drive away. Tyler had said he hadn't done anything with Tina and as far as I knew he wasn't planning on it. I got carried away by spontaneity and opened the door again. I walked directly to my car without stopping or thinking it twice, little droplets of water falling on my hair. I pulled the pins out and let it flow freely. I hopped in my car and started driving, hoping I'd find him home.

**~%~%~%~%~**

It was already raining by the time I got to the Lockwood mansion. There were no cars in the driveway and the house was dark, disappointment spread across my face. Thoughts of him being with Tina started invading my head. I didn't want to think about it, but I knew it was a possibility. I closed my eyes and placed my head on the steering wheel. I wanted to believe in Tyler's words.

I figured he must have parked his car in the garage. I opened the door and stepped outside, a cool breeze swept over me. I walked over to the font door and rang the doorbell a few times but got no answer.

_Come on Tyler… Please be home._

I kept insisting but got nothing. If there was one thing I was sure of was that I hadn't driven all the way to his home in the rain, wearing my prom dress, to give up so easily. I ran to the other side of the house and looked up at his window; his room was dark. The rain just kept pouring on me; I was completely drenched at this point. My hair was a mess, it was a good thing my makeup was waterproof.

I picked up a few pebbles from the ground and started tossing them at his window. After maybe ten throws, the lights on the room came on. My breathing stopped and my eyes widened, this was it; he was either going to let me in or have a change of heart and tell me to get lost and never come back. I watched as he approached the window and slid it open. He was shirtless and looked like he had just woken up.

"Caroline?"

"Hi." My voice trembled.

"What are you doing here?" He asked surprised.

"We need to talk and I couldn't wait until the morning." I looked up at him waiting for an answer. He pursed his lips before nodding quietly. He disappeared from view and I figured he had gone to open the front door. I didn't give him enough time to even leave the room. I quickly made my way up using the vine-covered wooden fence against the wall as a ladder, nearly tearing my dress. He turned to look at me from the doorway as I climbed through the window. He shut the door behind him.

"You prefer climbing in through windows as oppose to using the door?" He stared at me for a few seconds before noticing I was completely soaked from head to toe. "I'll get you a towel or a blanket or something."

"No." I took a couple steps toward him; his body was so distracting.

"I'm not cold." And I wasn't, but I could still feel my nipples hardening underneath my dress. "Are you alone?" The question sounded a bit intrusive, but I had to ask.

"Yeah, my mom went away for the weekend with a few of her friends." He said, slipping on a shirt and a pair of pants. He stared at my wet dress for a few seconds. He must have noticed how _cold_ I really was.

"Are you sure you don't want a towel?"

"I'm fine." I whispered. "So, no after party?" I asked.

"Did you really think I'd kill my chances of ever getting back with you?" He replied.

"Tyler. I'm sorry." I almost started crying but I wasn't going to let the tears interrupt my apology. "I should've told you what I knew but I was so afraid for you, for myself, for us." I looked at him, his brow furrowed. "I didn't know what you would do, if you found out. I didn't know what Damon would do, I felt like I was in the middle of everything and I didn't want to lose you." The sincerity in my voice was palpable.

"I've thought about everything, Caroline. I haven't done anything else since I found out. I know there was a reason behind everything you did. And I don't doubt for one second that there was anything else but good intentions behind your actions." I couldn't help but smile at his response.

"Does this mean, you forgive me?" We had somehow drifted closer to each other as we spoke. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"I already have." He looked at me and smiled before taking a seat on the bed.

"No matter how hard I tried to hate you for lying to me, it always proved to be impossible. The more I cursed your name, the stronger the urge to see you got. There wasn't a single day I didn't think about going to your place and telling you I'd put everything behind me as long as you promised to never lie to me again." He paused and stood up.

"Why didn't you do it?" I asked.

"Because I'm an idiot. We could've fixed this sooner if I hadn't been so stubborn. But you also have to understand I lost my uncle and that's what hurt me the most." He looked down at me.

"I know finding out about everything so suddenly must have been difficult. The fact that you were so angry and hurt is completely understandable. I just wish I could go back and do things differently." I replied, caressing his cheek with my hand.

"You know what else was difficult? Running into you at school and not being able to talk to you. Having you so close and not being able to touch you. Then tonight, seeing you walk in with Matt by your side. That dress kept torturing me all night, by the way." I felt myself blushing when I heard his words.

"You know I picked it out thinking of you." I admitted.

"As soon as I saw you walk through those doors, I was done for." He smiled. "And then, the dreams…" he said raising an eyebrow. "Those definitely didn't help my wants, I've been dying to have you that close."

"It's nice to know I wasn't the only one." I replied.

"And now you're here, you show up not necessarily at my doorstep but close enough. You're drenched and unwilling to accept a towel." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I think you might have even lied about being cold, it's… kind of hard not to notice."

He looked down at my breasts and then slowly returned his gaze to my face. I could see his eyes burning with desire and I could hear his heart beat intensifying along with the rain drumming down on the roof of the house. My breathing was uneasy and my heart was beating rapidly. The sweet smell of his body engulfed my senses.

"I love you so much, Caroline." He whispered into my lips.

"Tyler…"

I wrapped my hands around the back of his head and brought his lips close to mine. Our mouths connected, I was clinging on for dear life. The touch of his lips was electrifying. I didn't want this moment to end. I had been starving for his touch and he was the only one that could satisfy my hunger. His hands caressed my neck ever so lightly and lingered over my shoulder. His fingers played with my dress strap until he finally slid it off. He brought his lips down to my collarbone and all I could do was moan in satisfaction as I felt his smoldering mouth get closer to my throat. I ran my hands across his back and grabbed the ends of his shirt as he began pulling down my dress. Our lips pressed tightly again, only breaking apart for a second while I pulled off his shirt; my wet dress fell to the floor. He stared at my half-naked body, only covered in black, laced, panties. I shivered. He proceeded to remove my necklace and put it on top of the nightstand next to his bed. He placed his hands around my waist and threw me on top of his bed. It could've been the kitchen table for all I cared, I just wanted him and I didn't care where I had him. He removed his pants and climbed on top of me, pressing his body against mine. I felt his hardness in between my legs as he softly rubbed himself against me.

I switched positions and straddled him, placing soft kisses all over his neck. I could hear him breathing heavily, his hands were busy exploring my breasts, gently massaging my nipples with his thumbs. He wanted this as much as I did; the sexual tension had been building up for far too long. I ran my tongue down to his belly button and kept going lower, slowing down as I did.

"Don't tease me like that Caroline…" He let out a groan.

I smiled and quickly got him out of his remaining article of clothing. He was the most astonishing man I'd ever laid eyes on. His cock was stiff, I knew he was ready to go but I wanted to give me a little something first. I grasped it with my hand and gave it a few pumps.

"Oooooh… Fuck…" He moaned, lightly lifting his hips.

I looked up at him and sowly drew it into my mouth. He parted his lips and exhaled. I placed my hand at the based and began licking the head. I could feel it throbbing. I kept sucking on it until I felt myself getting so wet I just couldn't wait any longer.

"I want you inside me." I whispered.

He lifted himself up and flipped me over underneath him. His hardness was pressed against me and I let out groans of pleasure, anticipating what was coming. His wet tongue made small circles over my nipples, making my body tingle all over. He looked up at me and licked his lips before pulling down my panties and sliding them off my legs.

"You have no idea how much I've been wanting this." He murmured as he stroked himself a few times before entering me.

"I think I do." I said before letting out a moan when I felt him fill me up.

We were finally relieving ourselves from weeks of build up. It had been a long time coming but it was the best thing I had ever experienced. We melted into each other, moving in sequence and our hands roamed each other's bodies until there wasn't an inch of skin left unexplored. Our lips never grew tired of kissing, our tongues darting back and forth into each other's mouth. The combined rhythmic motion of our hips brought wave after wave of pleasure. I could have gone on like that for hours; one position after another, each burst of satisfaction was better than the last. I could feel my body quiver uncontrollably every time it received gratification. There was no need for us to talk; we could read each other like an open book.

I didn't know how much time had passed, I just remember climbing on top of him and looking down at his dark brown eyes, half-closed every time he got close to the edge. I swiveled my hips in a circular motion until I finally felt his body tense beneath mine. He cursed and brought my body close to his as he drove himself harder and deeper inside me, indulging in pleasure. I felt his hot liquid seeping into me with every thrust.

"That was amazing." I said breathless.

"You are amazing." He said with a smile.

Our bodies were flushed and sticky from perspiration, but the heat was comforting. We stayed that way for a few minutes, until I finally slid him out of me and came to rest next to him. I looked up at him as he stared at the ceiling.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked inquisitively as my fingers traced imaginary designs on his chest.

"I'm thinking about how the only thing I'm sure of in life right now is you. I don't care what happens in the future as long as you're by my side." He looked down at me and tucked my hair behind my ear before placing a soft kiss on my forehead. I smiled.

"I love you." We said in unison, smiling at each other.

"What do you think about taking a vacation, when school's over?" The question took me by surprised, my eyes widened at the prospect. "I mean… we'd have to do our research." He continued. "I have money to last me a lifetime, I can't stay in Mystic Falls forever just because I turn into a monster every full moon." He looked at me, eyebrows raised.

"Don't you want to find a way to break the curse?" I asked, watching him purse his lips.

"I do. But right now, I care more about you than I do about this stupid curse. I want to make you the happiest you've ever been before diving back into the horrors of the vampire/werewolf world." A grin spread across his face and I couldn't help but do the same.

"Where are we going?" My eyes sparkled at the possibilities.

"Wherever you want, as long as they have a place for me to hook up my heavy-duty chains." He replied with a smirk.

"I guess we better start doing some research then." I tapped his chest lightly as I sat up on the bed.

"Where are you going?" He pulled me back onto the bed. "We still have some time for that, right now I think we need to continue researching each other."

I laughed as he turned over, trapping me beneath him.

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**A/N: Tyler and Caroline together again. The way it should be... :) **

**Reviews are much appreciated!**


	15. Chapter 15: Plans

**A/N: Well, here it is. I've had a lot of fun writing this story and I really hoped that we would see a lot more T/C in TVD, but unfortunately that didn't happen. However, the writers love throwing curveballs so I guess nothing can be written off just yet. If they bring him back just to kill him off, I'm going to be pissed.**

**Last night's episode made me cry. That whole Tyler sequence at the end was heartbreaking: the letter to his mother, the talk with Matt "I kinda fell for her... she's kind of incredible" "treat her well" :'( and then him standing at her front door! Too much for me.**

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**Chapter 15 ~ Plans**

Tyler and I definitely made up for lost time the weeks that followed. Going out to dinner and a movie made me feel normal again. It was surprising, how sweet and romantic he could be. No matter how cheesy it sounded, I felt like I was living in a fairytale sometimes.

_A sexed up hot fairy tale, that is._

We'd been having sex like crazy since we got back together. When it wasn't at his place it was at mine; it helped that his mom was out of town frequently and mine worked late nights. The lake house was our favorite place by far though. There had been several recreations of our aquatic experience, each time being better than the last. Things with Matt were better than I had anticipated, he seemed to be taking things quite well and I was happy that our friendship had remained intact.

When the day of graduation finally arrived, little butterflies began dancing inside my stomach. It wasn't just because I had to deliver a graduation speech, but also because I knew that everyone graduating with me would be moving on with their lives. As I stood in front of my classmates, I talked about our goals and dreams. I reminded them that life was about learning from our mistakes and taking time to enjoy the simple things; never taking anything for granted. I knew some of these things didn't apply to me. With the exception of Stefan and me, they were all going to continue to grow old. Some would go off to college and others would start their own family. All I had to look forward to was figuring out what to do for the rest of forever and that wasn't as easy as it sounded.

After the ceremony we all got together near the gymnasium and shared moments of our four years there. There were jokes and laughs all around, and everyone seemed to be snapping pictures.

"I can't believe this is it." Matt said.

"Yeah, I didn't think it'd be so bittersweet." I replied, remembering he would be leaving soon.

I handed Bonnie my camera and asked her to take a picture of us. The day would come when I wouldn't be able to see him again and I wanted to remember him just the way he was. Tyler handed me flowers and balloons, he had asked his mom to get for him, and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Our parents finally joined us, Matt's mom had showed up to congratulate him and let him know she was proud of his accomplishments, but left soon after. When everyone was done taking pictures, we all headed out to dinner.

"Don't forget the party's at my house tonight!" Tyler announced.

Hoots and hollers followed from everyone around that had heard. We had to make good use of our time in Mystic Falls before going away for a few weeks. We had already talked it over with Stefan and Elena and they had assured us things would be fine when we got back.

**~%~%~%~%~**

It felt like everyone in our class had showed up to the party. There were so many people it was hard to walk from one place to another. I had to hold on to Tyler's hand whenever we were moving so I wouldn't lose him in the crowd. Everyone was having a great time dancing and socializing. Tyler and I sneaked in a few drinks and shared it with the rest of the group, in his home's library.

"So where are you guys going?" Stefan asked.

"Fiji!" I said with a grin on my face.

"That is so awesome!" Elena replied.

"Yeah, definitely a good choice. I'm sure they have a few unexplored islands around, that might come in useful." Stefan agreed.

"That's one of the reasons we picked it." Tyler chimed in, raising his glass for a toast. "To friendship, love, and the mystery of an unforeseen future." He said.

We all raised our glass and toasted to that. Our conversations were a bit cryptic but I doubted Matt noticed. It really sucked that he was the only one in the group that knew nothing about the supernatural occurrences in Mystic Falls, but it was better that way. I could only imagine his reaction if he ever found out Stefan and I were vampires, Tyler was a werewolf, and Bonnie a witch. He'd probably flip out, hard.

After a few more drinks we joined the party again. I made time to chat with a few of the girls from the cheerleading squad and Tyler talked to some of his football buddies. When he was done, he came up behind me and placed his arms around my waist, leaning into my ear.

"Did I already tell you, you look incredibly gorgeous tonight?" He whispered.

I smiled and turned to him, leaning up against his ear.

"No, I don't think you have."

"Wanna leave the party for a few minutes?" He asked.

"You're so bad…" I said.

"I just wanna give you a little preview of what's in store for you in our vacation."

I grinned and shook my head, lightly punching him in the stomach.

"What if someone sees us?"

"My house is pretty big, no one will even notice we're gone." He replied, grabbing a hold of my hand.

He guided me through the crowd and up the stairs; down halls and into rooms I didn't even know existed. He would twirl me around and kiss me every chance he got, until we reached the room he had been referring to. I looked all around; there were drawings on the walls and large pieces of paper on the floor.

"Why haven't I seen this before?" I asked.

"It's not something I really like to show off. It's the room I lock myself in when I need time alone. As you can see, I like to express myself in chalk and pencil." He laughed.

"It's really neat. I never get tired of looking at your artwork. These drawings are extremely good, you're so talented."

"I'm talented when it comes to other things as well…" A smirk appeared on his face.

He came closer to me until I had nothing else behind me but the wall. He kissed me passionately, biting my lips real gently, as he cupped my face.

"What did you do to me?" He asked between breaths.

"What do you mean?" I muttered.

"I can't seem to get enough of you. I've never felt like this before." He replied.

"I don't know, I can't even imagine what it would be like if we were to exchange blood." I said in pauses.

He suddenly stopped and looked at me. I shook my head.

"No, Tyler. We don't know what kind of consequences that would have. We can't risk it." I said.

He nodded and continued kissing me, his hands lifting my dress above my hips. He unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, pulling them down just enough to be able to free his erection. I removed my panties and wrapped my legs around his waist, holding onto him as he used the wall to stabilize himself. I felt the tip of his cock rub up against my flesh, searching for the opening.

"Right there…" I whimpered.

He pushed himself inside me and immediately began thrusting his hips in a rapid motion. I tried really hard to keep my voice down but it was difficult not to get carried away. He dug his fingers into my skin as he continued to push in and out of me. I was afraid our force would make a hole in the wall but that didn't stop me from asking him to drive himself harder into me. He lifted my legs up higher and put me in just the right angle for him to reach that sweet spot. I clutched on to his hair and let out a quiet whimper when I felt myself explode all around him. My reaction was enough to make him finish. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He slammed into me with force until I felt him erupt inside me, warm liquid running down my walls. I rested my head on his shoulder and unwrapped my legs, placing my feet on the floor.

"Wow you weren't kidding when you said _a few minutes_." I teased.

"That just proves how irresistible you are." He said, kissing my forehead.

"This is getting out of hand, pretty soon we won't even care about privacy." I joked.

He laughed as he wiped the excess fluid with a tissue. I extended my hand asking him for a few, I needed them more than he did. I put my underwear back on and fixed my hair before returning downstairs.

The party continued and just like Tyler had predicted, no one even noticed we were gone. We spent the rest of the night with the group until the house began to look more and more empty. It was 4 a.m. when Elena and Stefan left. Tyler and I went right to sleep and didn't wake up until noon that day.

**~%~%~%~%~**

A few days later, we all accompanied Matt to the airport. He had signed up for a special summer program at his new school and had to get there as soon as possible in order to set up the apartment he would be living in. Luckily, Mrs. Lockwood was able to find him a good paying job with one of her acquaintances in that city. Matt was more than grateful for it, he was going to need it; college expenses weren't cheap. We walked with him until he got to the security checkpoint and my eyes watered when it was finally time to say goodbye. I hugged him tightly and asked him to keep in touch.

"Don't forget about us."

"Of course not, I'll be coming home for the holidays. They'll get here sooner than you think." He replied.

"Take care, man." Tyler said, giving him a hug.

Everyone else said their farewells and we all waved at him and watched him disappear as soon as he passed security. Tyler gave me a hug, he knew how important Matt was to me and I knew he would miss him just as much. I looked up at him and smiled as I wiped the tears off my face.

On our way home, he opened the glove compartment and handed me an envelope. I opened it and pulled out two round trip plane tickets to Fiji.

"We're leaving tomorrow?" I asked surprised.

I had already told my mom I was planning a trip but I never told her when. I could only imagine her reaction when I told her about it as I packed my suitcase.

"Yup. Just you and me, Fiji, and unexplored territories." He said with a smile on his face.

"Oh, man. This is going to be quite the adventure!"

"Are you ready to embark on this journey with me?" He asked, taking his eyes off the road for a few seconds.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I replied.

He placed his hand on top of mine and smiled. We knew the future was uncertain and life always had unexpected twists and turns. However, if there was one thing we were sure of was that we would always be there for each other. We were in love and didn't care about anything else. I knew I had an eternity ahead of me but right now all I wanted was to enjoy every minute of my existence with him and make each other happy in ways we never dreamed of.

**~%~%~The End~%~%~**

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**A/N: I really hope the ending didn't disappoint. I felt like I had to end it that way, if I kept writing it just wouldn't have been as good and I rather leave it like that than write crap. haha. I know the curse was never broken and I also realize the whole not aging thing is a problem but I wanted to make the story about them just being together.**

**Thanks to all of you who stuck with the story and took the time to write reviews! I really appreciate it. Some of the things I read were pretty funny but very motivating and it's what kept me writing every day.**

**If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask. Unfortunately I can't reply to you if you don't have your private messaging enabled and you can't do that unless you have an account. But you can always send me a tweet: TwiTVDFans, I'll get back to you ASAP.**

**I've been contemplating an idea for a one-shot but haven't started writing anything yet. I don't know if there's still enough people out there hungry for more Forwood. Seems like a lot of them have lost hope.**

******One last request: if you guys liked the story, please recommend it! Love you all for being so kind to me :)**  


**XOXO,**

**Elaine**


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